RUSH: Book 2
by LawsonTR01
Summary: In the midst of internal drama involving TR, Kerry Vincent, newly appointed Superintendant finds a threat on her life escalating in seriousness once it's discovered that the orchestrator is an old enemy of TR out for vengeance!
1. Chapter 1 The Disruption

**A/N: The first instalment of Book 2! Hope you all enjoy and please review! I really appreciated them during Book 1.**

**There's a lot in this chapter that is going to be a central base for the rest of the book, and I thought I'd give you all an exciting opener RUSH never fails to give. A car chase!**

Chapter 1 – The Disruption.

"_Yeah, Lawson – he's just hit the Southbank area – we've got him turning left onto Southbank Boulevard now!" _Leon's assessing voice called as he scanned his screens, looking on as a speeding suspect slid into a side street in his Mustang. A dangerous pursuit through St. Kilda and all the way through to Southbank had forced TR into a state of worry; the thought of the criminal escaping dawning on them at every turn.

"Did you get that, Josh?" Lawson clicked into his comm. signalling Shannon to turn TR1 into the side streets, "Go, go, go!" he pushed, moving uneasily in his seat as he watched the Mustang distance itself from the police vehicle.

"_Yeah, we got it, Lawson. We're about three minutes off!" _Josh assured, giving Stella the go ahead to plant her foot on the accelerator and speed off to intercept the target.

Leon was back at base pattering away at his keyboard trying to determine what exactly this guy was running from – and surprisingly – the plates on the car weren't stolen and hence, the Intel officer was able to get a clear track on the suspects history and past offences.

"_Uh, Lawson." _Leon hesitated; his eyes flashing from the computer screen down to his keyboard and back again.

"What's up, Leon? Have you got a track on this guy or what? That's what we're paying you to do isn't it? Maybe I should get Kerry back down here so that when I'm away from base you still do your bloody job!" Lawson shot back, an annoyed tone clear with his words.

"_Actually, that's what I'm contacting you about. We called the owner of the car, and according to him, a James Vincent borrowed it and hasn't returned it since last night." _There was a hesitation in Leon's words and a long pause shared over the comm's.

"Kerry's son?" Lawson piped eventually.

"_Looks like it, mate."_

"Alright, Shan – pull over – we're calling this off." Lawson signalled to the side of the road, "Josh, forget it – let the suspect through – we're not doing this." Lawson spoke into his comm. Shannon's eyes darted from the road and the car ahead to Lawson and back, as if questioning his motives; still clearly having the intention to continue the pursuit.

"Lawson, I think we should -…" Shannon tried.

"-Shannon. Pull. Over!" Lawson demanded, pointing to the side of the road, a more forceful tone in his voice this time.

With a look of reluctance, the Sergeant pulled TR1 over to the side of the road and disignited the engine, her eyes lingering ahead still as the suspect round the corner and raced off out of sight. Her hands were placed firmly atop of the stirring wheel and her breaths were fierce and uncontrolled. They'd allowed a criminal – whether it was Kerry's son or not, to escape without consequence. A big no-no in Sergeant Henry's books.

"This is bullshit, Lawson! I don't give a shit who was in that car – they're a threat to everyone!"

"Y'know what Shannon, leave it yeah? I give the orders and I make the final call. I think it's about time you remembered that!" Lawson forced, undoing his belt and opening the door forcefully before slamming it behind him. Clicking his comm. once more, Lawson called for Josh, "Mate, do you have any idea why Kerry's son would be on the run from us?"

"Nope." Josh responded simply.

"Right. I'm gonna' give Kerry a call. The rest of ya' head back to base and Shan and I'll see you all back there." Lawson murmured softly into his microphone, before clicking it off and searching a compartment of his Kevlar vest for his cell phone. Pulling it out and dialling Kerry's number, Lawson placed the phone to his ear and waited for the dialling to come to an end.

"Kerry? Yeah it's, Lawson. We need to talk."

_**ONE HOUR EARLIER; KERRY VICENT'S story**_

"Oh, Steven – you have no idea what kind of a person Venture is. He got a man killed, threatened to kill thousands of people on New Years and killed one of my own guys! You can't be serious about dropping the charges that tactical response have on this guy!" Kerry growled furiously, her eyes locked on the Commissioner as he passed through a set of doors, Kerry following in step behind him.

"On the contrary, Superintendant; I can do whatever I please. It comes with being in a position of power. Fact of the matter is, cop death or not, Miguel Venture has information, locations and is willing to testify in court to witnessing several key figures of interest to the police doing criminal activity. Furthermore, he's willing to out several corrupt, high ranking police officials – police officials which are very close to me. I can't have that." The commissioner uttered, not even the slightest regret lingering in his words. There was something about the police force and the way you advanced through it; the higher you got, seemingly, the more corrupt you became. The power either got to everyone's head, or, quite simply, the police force was full of dickheads; the later, Kerry Vincent's idea.

"Are you serious? You're going to let a man walk free who is dangerous so long as she stays quiet on some dipshit police officials and confesses to witnessing some mob families' illegal activities?" Kerry protested.

"That's right – and those _dipshits _are my friends, Superintendant. I'd suggest you pull your head in or I can have you back in an office with TR as quick as I had you promoted!" the Commissioner put bluntly, finding his way into his office and resting down behind his desk. "Truth be told Superintendant, Venture's a small fish in a much bigger world. I'd rather stop the big guys before I even consider dealing with the limp-dick who thought he could be the _Grinch who stole New Years Eve_."

Scrunching her face in clear distain, Kerry threw her hand forward almost as if she wanted to lunge at her superior and give him a good punch in the nose. Her frustrations were dispelled through one heavy and untimely sigh, and through it she hissed, "You're really something you know that, Steven?"

Storming out of the office and slamming the door forcefully behind her, Kerry felt the mobile in her pocket vibrating and so she pulled it out and answered it, putting it easily to her ear.

"Superintendant Vincent?" She uttered in greeting.

"Mum – it's – it's James! I need you to call up the coppers and tell 'em to stop pursuing a blue Mustang!" James' frantic and uneasy voice called as the sound of screeching tires and sirens were heard in the background. Kerry immediately jumped into a defensive mother mode and her heart was racing. Jogging out of the building she was situated in, her heeled boots clacking against the polished marble floor, Superintendant Vincent spoke back clearly into the phone.

"James? Where the hell are you? What's going on?"

"Mum – call VKC or whatever it is and tell the coppers to back off!" James' frantic voice punctured the line once again.

"James… if you're in a car running from the cops, you need to pull over – now." Kerry tried to plead in as controlled of a voice as she could muster.

"Mum – I can't. Just – you know what to do!" the line cut out and Kerry cussed away as it did, dropping her phone into her pocket and making for her car, but it was then that Kerry got a call from Lawson, her hand immediately racing to the phone in a hope that it was James. Answer it and pulling the device back to her ear, the Superintendant raced to say something.

"James!" she stopped, waited.

"_Kerry? Yeah it's, Lawson. We need to talk."_

"Oh, Lawson – I got a call from James just now. I need you to call off a chase for me…. He's…. he's in some serious shit…." She begged.

"I already did. It was us on his ass, Kerry. What I'm calling to find out is why we had to be chasing him from St. Kilda all the way to Southbank?" Lawson pushed forcefully, wanting to know answers. Kerry's eyes darted about with the sound of Lawson's unhinging tone and she sighed once more.

"Lawson – I've got no idea what's going on…."

"Kerry! Give me something straight here, for god-sake. What the hell am I gonna' put in my report? '_Stopped pursuit due to realizing it was my ex-bosses son'_. It's not gonna' stand!" Lawson shouted back.

"Yeah, well – I didn't ask you to stop." Kerry rebutted, placing her finger on the hang-up button as if ready to end the call.

"Alright, alright. Look – we'll just leave it. But I can't do this again, Kerry. If we find his plates – we're going to have to respond to the call, yeah?"

"Oh, I know the drill, Lawson. But thanks – for letting him off this time around. I'll talk to him… I'll figure out what the hells going wrong. He probably wasn't even driving." Kerry uttered, pushing her hair back in a clearly stressed state. It was then that Superintendant Vincent considered whether or not now was the time to tell Lawson about the Dom situation. She knew how much the death was hurting him now – even still. She knew how much it had prevented the Senior Sergeant from doing his job to the full potential he used to. He didn't like putting his team in any hazardous situations as of late – he didn't like the thought of having someone die under him; and that was clear to be James, Kerry's son too. The old Lawson would've had no problems bringing him in and pressing charges; no if's or but's about it. The law didn't distinguish between the people you knew and those who you didn't. But it was now or never. Considering her new found profession, Kerry wasn't a regular visitor of TR anymore. Heaving in a deep breath, the Superintendant braced herself for what she was about to exchange with the Senior Sergeant.

"Look, Lawson – I uh – I just got out of a meeting with the Commissioner and…. Venture's most likely going to walk." A regretfully and genuinely sorry tone echoed through the phone, and Lawson was silent on the other end for a good several moments. It was clear that he was trying to understand the information; trying to allow it to sink in – but possibly most distinctly, trying to keep a firm hold of his emotions.

"Lawson?" Kerry spoke softly, as if trying to confirm that he was alright.

"I'll talk to you later, Kerry." He spoke simply and the phone ended with a distinct beeping sound.

...

The iconic TR vehicles arrived back at the garage and Josh, Stella and Christian all were waiting in the change rooms for Lawson and Shannon to join them. The phone call had put a delay on their arrival, but no less, they'd only been about five minutes later than TR2 had. Filing into the change rooms themselves, Lawson found himself in front of the team huddle and Shannon leaned on the fence, arms folded over; a trait she'd seemed to adopt from Lawson after all the time she'd spent with him.

"Alright," Lawson piped, grabbing everyone's attention, "From what we can tell, James Vincent was the driver of the Mustang – and pursuing wasn't an option any longer. We risked having James injured, or furthermore, with the reckless driving, someone else on the road. That's what the reports are going to say, clear?" the Senior Sergeant quirked, offering everyone a confirming look.

"Yup." Josh spoke without even a second thought.

"Good." Lawson put firmly, folding his arms and readying to inform everyone about Dom's situation. The two people that had been dealing with the whole loss the most severely were Josh and Lawson – and the fact of the matter was – Lawson was feeling just like Kerry before she'd told him. Pulling his lip to the side, contemplating how to word what he had to say, the Senior Sergeant 'ah'd' briefly.

"Look. I got a call from Kerry just before coming back to base and word has it that Venture's gonna' walk free."

"What!" Josh retorted fiercely, his eyes widening with the horror of what he'd heard. There was no fucking was that was happening – not on Josh's watch. If it did, there was nothing that was going to stop the Sergeant from finding the asshole and shooting him dead.

"Lawson – they can't!" Stella interjected.

"I know, I know. I had the same response. But there's not much we can do. If it happens, we can just hope that we can pin something else on him, yeah? I don't want anyone going out and taking the law into their own hands, yeah?" Lawson begged, offering Josh a look. But it was before anyone could respond that an unfamiliar face rounded the corner from the hallway leading to the offices.

"I agree. I don't think it'd be a good idea if any of you decided to go shooting people for no apparent reason." The man voiced, his eyes tracing the team over as he stopped in front of Lawson, dismissing the mans leadership presence.

"I think the death of our mates a pretty apparent reason, asshole. Who are ya' anyway?" Josh added in a defensive and straightforward tone, his eyes locked onto the newcomer.

"Sorry – excuse my rudeness. Senior Sergeant Charlie Lewis; your new boss." the officer smiled tauntingly, his eyes jumping from the team, over his shoulder to look at Lawson's completely and utterly pissed off expression. "Actually, it's thanks to the ordeal under Senior Sergeant Lawson Blake on New Years of last year that got me appointed. Apparently you guys... how did the Commissioner word it…? 'Fucked up'. That was it!" Charlie added, with a click of his fingers, his smart-alick smirk still playing on his lips. Charlie had a distinct accent; there were tinges of New Zealander in it but a clear Australian backing too. He stood around the same height as Lawson and his brown, smooth hair was combed neatly to the side. He was more slender than the Senior Sergeant who now fell under him, and his face in a sense was more pale and plain, his green eyes popping as a result of it. There was no doubting that the girls of the squad would find him attractive, but the fact of the matter was his personality was a dead put-off. His arrogance and clear lust for power; simply horrible. "So, whatever it is that Senior Sergeant Blake was discussing with you - lets just set that aside, because now, you lot respond and listen to me. I'm the central position of command, and Senior Sergeant Blake here falls under me. He can head the field ops to his liking, but first and foremost, he must run them by me and keep me informed. Now, before you whinging shit-heads get on my back, I'm going to lay down the law for you lot. I hear a word of bitching – you're gone. You disobey a direct order from me – you're gone; off the team. No second chances. Are we clear?" Charlie's eyes scanned the ranks, with each word his eyes enforcing the meaning with their distinct look and overpowering qualities.

"Can't promise anything." Josh spoke back emotionlessly, his eyes holding more on Lawson with the words. He knew his mate wasn't going to be enjoying this; not even in the slightest. He hadn't liked when Kerry came in over him, but at least she was appointed in a manner that made sense; this new asshole had come out of nowhere.

"Sergeant Joshua right? Yeah – I would've spotted your attitude from a mile away. Kerry may have taken your shit mate, but me, you've got no chance." Charlie added with a blunt look, his tone simple and demeaning.

"Wait a minute. I thought Lawson was doing a perfect job with running TR since Kerry left. Success rates are higher than ever and we're gelling as a team." Christian spoke in a sincere and soft tone; his youthfulness showing with every word.

Charlie's eyes snapped away from Josh and onto the Constable and immediately, Charlie had spotted the soft spot in the team; a figure that was loyal and loving of everyone.

"Constable – if you want to question the Commissioners orders – take it up with him directly. Until then, you just get used to blending in the background in doing what I ask you to do, alright?" Senior Sergeant Lewis added arrogantly. "Right. It was a pleasure meeting you all. Head home early for today. I'll be revising the team lists and determining whether or not you're all fit for duty." Charlie spoke, striding back in the direction he'd come from. The team exchanged unnerved and uncertain looks, but no one said a word. What was it that this Charlie Lewis planned to do? Diminish TR's ranks based on who he _thought _was needed in the team? He didn't know them all directly. He couldn't determine who was needed and who wasn't until he served with them on the field. No less, he seemed to be doing what he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted too do it.

Lawson's eyes were immovable. They were centered straight ahead and his mind was clearly ticking away at how – and more to the point – why – someone had been appointed above him. The sound of his team moving out of their seats triggered his sight to land itself on them all. Their pitiful eyes were on Lawson and Lawson's eyes, frustrated and uncontrolled were on his teammates.

"Alright – go home all of you. I'll see you in here tomorrow." He dismissed easily, retreating back to his locker and sliding out of his work gear and into his casual garments. Reaching in for his keys, the Senior Sergeant pocketed them in his jean pocket and closed his locker over once sliding into his brown leather jacket.

Josh's considerate gaze was lingering from his own locker, and immediately once Lawson had made to escape the garage, the Sergeant had trailed nearby.

"Lawson?" he announced.

Turning, the Senior Sergeant's expression prodded Josh to ask what he needed to.

"May as well go out for a couple of drinks, aye? For Dom?" Josh offered with a solemn look – a sense of numbness to his words still with the mention of their deceased comrade. But Lawson simply shook his head; not today.

Continuing on his way the Senior Sergeant weaved into his vehicle and placed the key in the ignition, turning it and starting the chortling sound of the engine. Sitting motionless and silent for a moment, Lawson Blake rethought today. James' situation, the new boss, Kerry, the loss of Dom and still having Michael away from the team that needed him more than ever. Everything was going to the shit and there was nothing – even as its primary leader – that Lawson could do to stop it.

A firm hand patting on the window broke the silent mans concentration, and his eyes flashed up to the passenger window where Shannon was looking in. Winding it down from the inside, Senior Sergeant Blake offered his partner a look.

"Where are you going, Lawson?" Shannon asked, some worry in her tone.

"I've just go something I need to do. I'll be back at my joint before nine." He promised.

"If you need to talk, I'm here you know that right?" the Sergeant assured, a comforting look crossing her features.

Lawson nodded thankfully, "I know, Shan. It's just something I've gotta' do."

"Right. I'll see you at home?"

"Yeah."

The drive out of TR's base wasn't without its thoughts. Ongoing thoughts of Dom and how things could've been handled differently. How things being handled differently could've led to Dom surviving and being able to serve with the team – being able to spend quality, lost time with his wife and daughter. The time that Lawson himself felt responsible for taking away. It was why the Senior Sergeant made an effort to visit Sandrine and Dom's little girl at least two days a week. To check up on them. To make sure they were okay. To make sure they were coping with what Lawson seemingly couldn't cope with. Guilt, regret. Truthfully, as horrible as it sounded, Lawson felt at home with Sandrine. He felt that his regret and responsible-feelings for what happened were normal; according to the situation given. Lawson felt like family and he was dealing with the loss of Dom like family… something that no one at work seemed to understand; not even Josh. Lawson gave the final order and he'd got Dom killed. At least that's what it came down to in the commanding officers mind. It was dawning on Lawson's relationship with Shannon and his relationship with the team – and it was making him an obsessive force; bent on securing the safety of his team, no matter what the cost on his own person. With Dom's little girl in his arms, everything went away. It felt like Dom was still here. It felt like Dom lived on through his little girl because she looked so distinctly like him. She brought back everything Lawson had stupidly thrown away. With a gently kiss on her forehead, Lawson lay the little baby into her cot and gave Sandrine the first real smile he'd been able to muster for a long time.

"She's beautiful, Sandrine."


	2. Chapter 2 The Return

**A/N: And the second instalment! Glad that everyone is enjoying the book so far, and loving the reviews. Please keep them coming! Sorry for the delay on this one, just been a really busy week. Hopefully this will keep interests held. Please, do enjoy!**

Chapter 2 – The Return

_Clack, clack, clack!_

Michael's sneakers prodded along the ground and the sound of the occasional car driving by broke the repetitive motion. His brief heaving breath a distinguishing feature of his lacking fitness since his removal from TR. There was no doubting the undying dedication in the newly appointed Senior Constable. His time at the Foxtrot taskforce had worked him wonders. Michael had secured himself a place in the hearts of all those that he'd worked with, obtained a more than well earned promotion and furthermore, proved himself as to being a by-the-book, get it done cop. Something he'd never been able to prove to his TR superiors during his time in service. Rounding a corner, the Senior Constable's cheeks flushed with certain redness, his fatigue starting to show on his features and slowly but surely, the well-paced run dropped down to a brief jog and then proceeded to become a fast paced walk. The brief sun beamed on his face and Michael Sandrelli found his way to a bench, hands rested on his sides as he took to sitting down. There'd been a hole in the Constable's chest ever since he'd left TR. Ever since he'd been driven out by Kerry and forced to partake in his policing activities elsewhere. As much as he felt accepted and accomplished; once you were in TR, you were always bound to TR. It was just the line of work that the thrill-seekers in the police force joined. Those who wanted to help – but furthermore – wanted to be on the frontline and ensure that, even when things got dangerous, they'd see the situation through until the end. That was exactly what tactical response was; that was exactly what it stood for. A hand wiping over his sweating forehead, Michael cast a glance down at the ground. He couldn't stop thinking. About TR. About the old times. About Stella. He hadn't seen her since Dom's funeral, and even there, he'd been distant. He'd stood alongside the Foxtrot taskforce as if he hadn't known the guy that was being buried. A guy that in so many ways, he'd considered a mentor and a father-figure. Shaking his head, the constable dismissed his thoughts. There was no time for anything like that; no time for reminiscing in his faults of the past. Lawson had always said to keep your head right and to keep going, because everything you did was for legitimate reason.

However, it was the sound of firm footsteps approaching from the footpath ahead that caught Michael's ear. And then the voice.

"Michael." There was a pause and the young officer had to play at the voice for a moment.

Eyes trailing off the ground and up to the approaching man, a completely true smile burst onto Michael's features.

"Lawson!" he stood quickly from his seat, offering his superior a respectful nod.

"Well, you're looking a little out of shape." Lawson put with a slightly teasing pull at his lips.

"Uh – yeah…. Well what can I say? The taskforce didn't have requirements like TR." Michael laughed truthfully, scratching the back of his neck a little uncertain of how to deal with the situation at hand.

"How're you mate?" the Senior Sergeant offered, patting Michael in greeting on the shoulder and taking a seat next to where Michael had been seated before. The Constable followed in accordance.

"I've been alright. How about you and the guys?" the Constable spoke pleasantly, finally regaining some consistent breath from the run he'd been on.

"Yeah; their good." Lawson nodded. "Look, Michael. I know what happened between you and Kerry – but fact of the matter is – Kerry's not heading TR anymore and so, there's still a place for you at TR. We're a man short, Michael…. Since Dom." Lawson offered, a solemn look crossing over his face; the clear notion of regret still playing on the Senior Sergeant's mind.

"Look… Lawson… you know I'd love to come back. But – the taskforce has really made me welcome. I can't just up and leave on them."

"Nah, nah. I understand mate. I'm just letting you know the positions there. If you want back in, the positions yours. It'll make me feel a hell of a lot better than having some new asshole filling the spot. I wanna' know I can trust my team – and frankly Michael – TR and me have complete and utter faith in ya'." Lawson spoke honestly, a comforting hand placed onto the Constable's shoulder.

A thankful nod was offered from Michael, but a look of distinct confusion was plastered across his youthful features.

"Lawson? How is it exactly you found me?"

"I was driving along and I saw a little fatty that looked a bit like Michael. Couldn't help but have a quick look if it was you or not." Lawson smirked, "On that note. If you want the position back – don't expect to show up unless your uniform fits. Fatty." Lawson smirked cheekily, standing from the seat and pacing back in the same direction he'd come from.

...

The TR station was quiet in the early hours of the morning. No one had been expected in until seven thirty, but Charlie, Josh, Lawson and Shannon had all seemed to arrive roughly around the same time. The new boss of TR found himself sorting out Kerry's old office, whereas Josh was finally catching up with the paperwork he'd been behind on since the Miguel Venture case. Lawson was sitting in the change rooms, eyes fixated on Dom's old locker and his hands firmly placed by his sides as he sat in silence; just thinking.

"You didn't come home last night." Shannon's voice bopped as she rounded the corner from the girl's bathroom; fully suited up in her TR gear.

"I know, Shan. I'm sorry." He told her in a sincere voice.

"I know you are, Lawson. But this isn't okay. We can't keep playing at this – you can't keep shutting me out. You need to talk about this and even despite how many times I've told you TR and me are here for you, we're the last people you come to see when it comes to talking about Dom." Shannon released, her true feelings coming into the open.

Lawson's eyes traced away from the floor and moved over to Shannon, a certain sadness possessing them. His heart broke with her words. It was true; Lawson had been completely shutting out Shannon. Completely shutting out Josh and the rest of the team; something that he couldn't continue to do.

"Yeah, you're right." Lawson acknowledged, "Truth is, Shan – what's on my mind isn't for the ears of the team. I'm the leader. I need to be strong – need to be composed and collected. If that means soldiering through the battle alone, that's what I'm gonna' have to do." Lawson spoke simply.

"No." Shannon interjected almost immediately, "Lawson. You may be the team leader – but first and foremost – you're my partner. You and me; that's more important than anything. I'm here Lawson," Shannon lipped, moving towards him and taking his hand into her own, "I want to help you."

"Yeah, I know." Lawson smiled sadly back, moving forward and kissing Shannon gently on the lips. He'd missed it; the feel of her lips touching his. The smallest of things.

"We'll talk later, yeah?" Lawson promised.

"Sounds like a plan." Shannon smiled through the kiss that she'd deepened. For a moment, Lawson and Shannon felt the comfort of one another again. The warmth of one another, the distinct touch of one another and the undying love that they both shared for one another; something that had been so distant for so long as a result of Lawson's wary and self-blaming state.

...

Hours grew on and Sergeant Joshua was finally able to sign off the computers. He'd found himself up to date with all his reports and he'd done it outside of official working hours. The younger members of TR had started to arrive almost directly after. Stella and Christian chuckling away as they marched their way into the change rooms in which Lawson and Shannon had only evacuated half an hour prior.

"Shut up, Christian." Stella smirked embarrassed at the conversation that she'd been having upon arriving.

"I'm just saying, Stell'. You and Michael; top notch couple!" Christian thumbed up.

Rolling his eyes as he made his way down the hallway, Brendan Joshua headed to his locker and started sliding into his gear, offering a friendly nod to the youngsters who were conversing.

"You two should probably keep your personal stuff on the down low. With Charlie in, there's no doubt his looking for some leverage over the team." Josh added quietly, making the final additions to his uniform.

Stella simply gave Josh a careless shrug and Christian took the words more seriously; giving his superior a thanking nod. "Do you think he's going to cut anyone out of TR?" Christian piped, trying to keep his tone as low as possible.

"Nope." Josh added simply. "He needs us, Christian. Cutting anyone isn't an option for him at the moment. We're already a man down without Michael around."

"Charlie doesn't really seem like the type of guy to give a shit about numbers, Josh. I think the whole 'list pick' he's doing's to strike some fear into us." Stella added with an honest tone, her eyes scanning the garage as if to try and search for any sign of the new Senior Sergeant.

"Yeah – well, Lawson won't let him." Josh shrugged in conclusion. That's what it came down to. Having faith that Lawson would keep everyone safe from Charlie's harsh rule. Filing out of the hallway and into the locker rooms once more, Shannon and Lawson adjusted their earpieces and offered the team a greeting.

"Right; Charlie's on his way with the verdict on the team." Lawson spoke firmly, his eyes scanning the ranks.

"Any cuts, Lawson?" Stella quirked in her usual innocent tone.

"How am I supposed to know, Stell'? I'm on the same page as all of you here." Lawson stated matter of factually, pressing the earpiece perfectly back into place.

In that moment, Charlie rounded into the change rooms and the final addition to the team had arrived. Leon and Audrey had been summoned along with him too; it seemed that they'd both been considered for the team revamp as well. Leon shuffled into line next to Josh, his hesitant and uncertain eyes training away from the new leader and Audrey simply stood with her large blue eyes glued to the boss – as if captivated by his sheer presence.

"Alright." Charlie spoke. "I've been through the team – backtracked on all of your records and I've found no weak links. Good work." Pocketing his hands, the Senior Sergeant grazed the ranks over, "With that being said, Leon – I expect complete professionalism from you. No accessing the network for your private needs. Police duties and police duties only, or consider yourself replaced by Audrey." Charlie pointed from the bikey-vest wearing computer tech over to the much more attractive and presentable addition to the team.

"Okay then. With that being sorted, we'll get a move on with -…."

"-Hang on." Lawson interrupted Charlie with his powerful voice. "We're waiting on one more."

Charlie's eyes darted around, a clear distaste for Lawson's interruption. Scanning back over to the team that stood before him, Senior Sergeant Lewis took note of the entire team being present and shrugged his shoulders, "Everyone's here, Lawson."

"No. We're waiting on one more." Lawson repeated; more slowly than the last time almost in mockery to Charlie.

"Lawson."

"Charlie."

There was a pause. Silence. The two senior officers exchanged looks and a tension built between them, but the sound of boots pattering from a distance drew Charlie's attention elsewhere.

"Who's he?" Charlie forced, pointing over to the entering male officer.

"Michael Sandrelli. He was put on leave for personal reasons." Lawson lied easily, his eyes looking over to the old addition making his fresh return. Smiles were abroad, and each and every member of the team was captivated by the pleasant sight that was Michael; except that of Charlie.

Eyes darting back to Lawson, Charlie summoned him over with a finger movement, "A word, Lawson?" he moved back towards the hall – allowing the rest of the team to use the time to celebrate while the two leaders of the team had a more serious conversation.

Stopping before Charlie, Lawson offered the new leader a challenging look, "Is there a problem?"

"Not at all, Lawson. Other than the fact that you brought in a fucking teammate without running it by me, we're A-oh-bloody-kay!" Charlie shot aggressively, his piercing eyes challenging Lawson's authority-filled gaze.

"Charlie…. You may think you're running this squad, but as far as it goes, I've got a say in the team I lead here. I need people I can trust, and Michael, whether you like it or not is someone that I feel I can trust. We were short one member in TR, and now, that problems fixed. You should be thanking me." Lawson cut with his well played words.

"Next time you want to do anything involving this squad – you run it by me. Are we clear?"

Lawson offered a brief nod, lips pouted forward almost stirringly.

"Good." Charlie nudged past and found his way back to the group. As if in control, he pulled a tight and clearly forced smile onto his lips, "Welcome back to the team, Michael. Consider yourself a part-time addition. Once I've had enough of you, you're back on your ass with whoever you branched off from." Charlie uttered with complete truth to back his words. Lawson found his way back into the change rooms as well, and he moved into a back corner of the room, leaning on a wall with his arms folded.

"What're we doing, Charlie?" Lawson announced in a somewhat uncertain voice.

"_You _and the rest of the team are going out on patrol. Tend to what needs to be tended." The Senior Sergeant spoke simply, pointing over to the vehicle. "Oh and Lawson," Charlie began as the team started on their way, "If you ever let a suspect escape again…. You're done."

...

Kerry had been at it through the night and all morning. She'd been trying to get into contact with James but simply, she couldn't. Her heart was pounding and her head aching with the worry that had overpowered her.

"James, it's – its mum; call me back; please. Just let me know you're alright." A repeat of a message left at least a hundred times over. Something was wrong. James may have been a user and reluctant to let his mother see him in the state but there was no way he was this cruel. Even being as shit of a mother as Kerry believed herself to be – she knew her son a hell of a lot better than that. Under her breath she cussed away uncertain and unsure of what to do. All her instinct told her to go to Lawson and to get him to look into this; but Kerry knew, even the way he was now, Lawson still had a degree of professionalism to him. He'd undoubtedly arrest James – just like he'd said. The Senior Sergeant had offered fair warning and Kerry accepted it. Pulling her phone back to her ear, the Superintendant listened to the dialling tone that emerged.

Then suddenly, it stopped.

"Kerry?" the voice offered.

"Yeah, Josh. I-uh-I need a favour." The woman spoke as clearly as possible.

"Shoot?" Josh spoke simply.

"It's…. it's James. He's not taking any of my calls and I-uh… I think he may be in some trouble. I need you to get Leon to track his phone for me. It… it seems as though it's still on." Kerry begged in a weak state, "And Josh…. Lawson can't know about this. Same with Charlie." She informed.

"I'll see what I can do, Kerry."

"Oh, thanks Josh." She announced wholehearted.

Sergeant Joshua hung up his phone and placed it in the car holder, gazing over to Stella.

"Pull over up here." Josh signalled towards a free parking space on the side of the street. The car rolled to a halt and Josh clicked into his comm. "Leon? I need a favour."

"What's up Josh?" Leon quirked, rolling back away from his little note making session with Audrey.

"Can you get me a track on James Vincent's phone?" he asked with a persuasive tone.

"Uh…. Is this off the records, mate?"

"Yeah." He admitted.

"Right-o, I'll see what I can do for ya'."

"Cheers."

A moment past, then two, then three. Following came Leon's distinct voice.

"Got him!" he called, his eyes tracking along the map, "He's in an old warehouse on Booker Street in Spotsword."

"Thanks, Leon." Josh uttered, signalling Stella to take off toward the destination. "We're goin' in quietly." He informed her.

"Got it." She replied in approval.

Michael was sitting in the back saying nothing, his eyes simply scanning over the area and obeying his superiors every command for a change. He was too happy to be back to cause any mischief with the people he trusted in his first day on duty.

"Josh?" Stella offered, rounding a corner quickly.

"Yeah?" the Sergeant offered in a curious voice.

"D'you think Charlie's ever been laid? I mean… the guys up tight as all hell but he's not bad looking." Stella acknowledged, a little teasing in her voice.

"D'you think I give a shit?" Josh laughed, his usual smile lightening the mood.

"Donno. He seems like your type." Stella interjected with a stirring wink. There were so many similarities between Charlie and Lawson at times that it wasn't even funny – and Stella – she had no problem taking the micky out of her mate. A few short moments passed and the Sergeant and the rest of TR2 had found themselves at the warehouse given. Jumping quickly out of the car, guns drawn, they approached the warehouse and their eyes locked onto one of the old doors that looked as though it was unlocked. Approaching it, Stella grabbed the handle and Josh offered his covering aim along with Michael. Pulling it open, Stella moved in. Clear.

Josh followed close by and checked the room opposite. Clear.

Then came Michael; straight down the center and into the main section of the warehouse.

"Guys!" he called, eyes flashing backwards and forwards frantically. The two teammates hastily made their way to Michael and their eyes caught a bloody, bruised and battered James Vincent, lying on the floor struggling for breath in his own blood.

"Shit…." Josh cussed. "Leon! I need an ambo here now!"


	3. Chapter 3 The Rift

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, once again very busy. It's more than likely going to take me a week to get each chapter up from here on out so delays are more than likely expected! Please do keep the reviews coming, I'm loving them; whether you've already reviewed or not. Anything is welcome!**

**Hopefully this holds interests for a little while. Slightly shorter than previous chapters, but it gives you all a little look into what's going on!**

Chapter 3 – The Rift

Michael and Josh had James slung over their shoulders as they quickly dragged him from the old, dark and murky confounds of the warehouse. Blood tracked all the way through and the sound of ambulance sirens approaching was a welcomed sound. Resting the young Vincent down onto the ground, Josh leaned over him and took note of the wounds he had. A stab wound to his stomach, severe beatings with some sort of a blunt weapon causing severe open wounds on his forehead and a variety of other pummelled regions. Whoever had done this to James Vincent wanted him only inches away from death – but most importantly, they wanted to send a message.

"James." Josh worded carefully, his eyes resting on the bloody young figure. "James I need you to keep your eyes open for me, alright?" Josh tried to get an assurance. James responded with nothing more than a grunt, his hand resting painfully at the stab wound in his stomach.

"He-…lp." James managed to drawl out, the ambulance arriving almost at the very same time. Quickly, the paramedics made their way around TR2 and Josh flocked away from the body, allowing the medics to do what they did best. Stepping away from the situation, Josh removed his cell from his vest and dialled Kerry's number with a hesitance about him. The last thing that Superintendant Vincent would have wanted to hear was that her son had been beaten to deaths doorstep.

The dialling went on for a good two seconds and the sound of Kerry's desperate voice broke the repetitive dial tone.

"Josh. Have you found him?"

"We got him. But Kerry…. He's… he's in a bad way." Josh spoke softly. "Someone's beaten him something fierce." Josh tracked his words carefully.

"Oh…." She hesitated, her voice breaking a little, "Shit…- Josh; is he going to be alright?"

"I don't know, Kerry." Josh admitted, his eyes closing over with the words that had left his mouth. As much as he wanted to lie – he just couldn't. False hope was the worst thing you could distil upon people in these situations. It was better to prep for the worst, rather than hoping for a miracle.

"Shit." Kerry repeated, her heart beating so quickly that she felt as though she was going to have a heart attack.

"They're taking him to the Sunshine Hospital. We'll come pick ya' up." Josh spoke simply.

"Nah – Josh… I'll drive up. You find the assholes that did this to my son, you hear?" Kerry shot back, aggression lingering in her tone. If anyone really wanted to piss Kerry off, it was to mess with her son – and that was exactly what the prick that beat up on James had done.

"Alright Kerry." Josh nodded, hanging up the phone and sliding it into his vest. By the time he'd turned around, James had been hauled into the ambulance and it was already half way down the road on its way to the hospital.

"Stell', Michael; let's go!" Josh summoned, weaving into the front passenger seat of TR2. Shutting the door with a forceful thud, the Sergeant looked down at his hands. They were stained from James' blood. Turning his head to Stella who'd just found herself in the drivers seat, Josh offered her a simple look, "Follow the ambo's. I wanna' make sure these assholes don't try anything on the way."

With the words offered her way, Stella gave Josh a simple nod and her foot hit the accelerator, speeding up as if to catch up with the ambo's. It was easy enough considering the immense traffic on the roads at the moment; it'd proved to ensure that James and the medics had only got about thirty seconds away from the warehouse itself.

"Lawson?" Josh uttered into his mic.

"_Yeah, mate?"_ Lawson replied quickly.

"We'll be off the roads for a while. One of the jobs we hitched landed us with a suspect in hospital. Our comm's will be off."

"_Yeah, no worries mate. We'll talk later."_

...

Hands placed firmly on the steering wheel, Kerry Vincent sped down the main roads with a certain determination. As a mother, she felt obligated to be by her son's side. It was her duty – whether she could physically help him or not. A mother had a feeling. A feeling that suggested that in spirit, you could be there for your children. Weaving between cars at every given moment, Kerry eventually sped down through the last straight and reached the hospital. Her car slid quickly into the first place available and Superintendant Vincent charged out of her car. The quick-paced step that she took could be assessed by her heels clacking against the concrete beneath her and in no time, she was inside the hospital itself. Hands running over her face, the Superintendant looked for some familiar faces; for someone that could comfort her. Josh's welcomed features emerged from behind a wall and Kerry rushed to him, "Josh." She spoke, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"Kerry…" Josh put, placing either of his hands on Kerry's shoulders. "You need to calm down. Just breath." Josh tried with a steady tone.

"I'm as calm as I can be in the situation, Josh. Where is my son!" Kerry demanded, shrugging Josh's hands off of her and nudging past him – no longer in a need for a face that made her feel safe – but the face of the person she loved.

"Kerry!" Josh retorted, blocking her off before she could reach the hallway. "They've taken him in to theatre. He's not in a good shape." Josh spoke simply, his emotions keeping themselves in check with each word he offered. It was of the most importance that he didn't lose a grip of himself.

"Oh… Shit… Josh. He's not gonna' make it is he?" Kerry's face fell shallow, and her eyes dropped to the floor, tears building up.

"Kerry. He'll be fine. I promise." The Sergeant offered in his most assuring of voices. Though Kerry knew the speech; the speech that every cop gave to a helpless mother, desperate for reassurances.

"Oh, Josh. I'm a cop. I know where you're going with this and that shit – it doesn't work on people in the force." Kerry put back to the Sergeant simply, a somewhat certainty to her words.

Around the corner in the hallway, Michael and Stella stood opposite one another. Both were leaning on either side of a hallways wall, and their eyes were locked on each other.

"So I was thinking," Michael began, "Seeming as though I'm back on TR…. It'd be a perfect opportunity to get back together."

Stella simply smiled her innocent smile, almost looking as though she was holding back an instinctual laugh. "Michael… you're such an idiot." She teased, "What sort of way is that to ask me out? Really? The whole reason we had to cut things off was because we were in the same squad and now you wanna' go back to that? Nope. I'm not giving Charlie anything to use against me and you should be thinking the same way." Stella suggested simply, shrugging her shoulders.

"Stell'…" Michael pushed.

"Michael. No. Jeez, you're like some sort of _sexaholic_." Stella retorted with a slight chuckle.

"No – I mean… I just – you know – I'm lonely."

"No shit, Michael. You still live with your parents." Stella laughed through her youthful smile. Michael couldn't help but join in. He'd really stuffed up with the whole proposal thing now.

"Shut up." He replied playfully, still chuckling away.

Hours passed and eventually, James Vincent was allowed visitors. He was conscious and his mother was immediately into his room with arms tightly encompassing her son's body.

"James." Her voice finally suppressing any negative emotion and being overcome with positive. Her son was going to be okay; James was going to pull through this without any major injuries to his person. None the less, physically James may have been perfectly fine, but mentally, the boy was going to be scarred for a long time still. His eyes spoke more than words could; the reassuring feeling he felt seeing his mother. But in that silence, James remembered something – remembered something that the people who did this to him had asked him to do.

"Mum." He broke, his voice trembling with the thought of those who'd beaten him so severely. "I-… the people who did this. I know who they are… they told me…. They told me what they did to me was a warning to you; of what was to come." James pushed, his eyes becoming more watery at every word that left his lips.

Kerry's eyes locked themselves on James' weak and frightened ones and once more, she felt helpless.

"James…. Who did this?" she questioned a sense of urgency in her tone.

There was a pause, and James hesitated at the name.

"Kr-…. They said his name was Kronin. Andrew Kronin. He wants to teach you and your old squad a lesson." James spluttered uneasily through the sentence.

Kerry's eyes fell low and her heart dropped in her chest. Andrew Kronin was back. The last time TR had a run in with him was when Lawson finally secured his arrest and TR had one less worry on their shoulders. One of the single most dangerous individuals in Melbourne was subsequently back on the streets with a no-mercy attitude toward TR. Releasing James from her embrace, Kerry hesitated in her leave from her son's bedside and quickly strutted over to Josh who was standing alongside Stella and Michael.

"Guys…." Her approach was alerted to the officers as they all turned in accordance to her words. "I- Uh… I just spoke to James. Andrew Kronin's behind this. Apparently he's out to slam TR for what we did to him." Kerry pulled a hand through her hair.

"Kronin?" Josh repeated.

"Yeah…"

"Lawson's not gonna' be too happy about this." Stella interjected.

"Oh… I know, Stella. Look, you guys head back to TR head quarters. Call Lawson and the rest of TR back in and set something into motion. I want Kronin caught, do you understand me? There is no way he's getting away with doing this to my son!" Kerry put severely, her eyes almost depicting the ring of fire that raged within her gut.

"We'll get him, Kerry." Josh promised with a nod.

...

"So what's all this about then?" Lawson announced as TR1 and he himself arrived back at base. They'd been dealing with calls that uniforms could've been dealing with all day and to say that Lawson was a little shitty with the set-up given to them by Charlie would've been an understatement. Put simply, when Lawson was pissed off; everyone knew it. He took it out on the team at times; the lack of patience, the reluctance to have conversations and the ever more thoughtfulness plastered over his face as he sat in silence told them team all they needed to know about their leader.

"Lawson." Josh greeted. "The call that we responded to was an assault. An assault on a James Vincent – beaten near to death." Josh explained.

"So? I know this is Kerry we're talking about, but fact of the matter is, James probably got himself caught up in some shit and got beaten for it. That was your case Josh, you should've dealt with it." Lawson pointed; conviction in his words.

"Oi! Would you just hear me out dickhead?" Josh rebutted, a significant amount of irritation possessing his words. "James was told who it was that ordered his assault. Andrew Kronin; the assholes out and trying to get back at us for the last arrest we had on him."

"Kronin." Lawson reiterated; his face filling with distaste for the man that was just addressed.

"As far as we can see, he's targeting Kerry first." Josh spoke quietly. "She needs someone with her, Lawson – otherwise…."

"-Yeah." Lawson agreed, interrupting Josh.

"I'm willing to go undercover and stay with her, mate." Josh stated honestly.

"Nah, nah. I'll do it." Lawson shook his head. It wasn't that the Senior Sergeant didn't trust his mate, but it was more the fact that Lawson didn't want to put another one of his teammate's lives at risk. He'd lost Dom. He wasn't going to lose Kerry and Josh in one hit like that; and the best prevention for that was taking up the undercover work himself.

"Lawson. The team need you here. You're no good to TR undercover." Josh added with a quick wit.

"No, I understand that. While I'm doing the undercover work, you'll take the second-in-command here." Lawson spoke, not even the slightest hesitation in his voice. This was going to be done; whether Josh liked it or not. The look playing on Josh's face proved to be unpleased with Lawson's orders – but the fact of the matter was – Lawson was his superior, but more importantly, he was his mate. Trust came into accordance here and so did loyalty.

"Alright." Josh spoke reluctantly, "But don't come crying back to me once you get sick of spending every second of your day with Kerry." Josh joked smoothly, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

"Don't worry mate," Lawson added quickly, "Couldn't be worse than falling under Charlie." He teased with a sly smile. Making his way for the lockers, Lawson started to get unchanged and slid himself out of his gear.

...

The first day on duty for Lawson with Kerry had been eventless. No threats. Nothing. On the other hand, back at the home of TR operations, Josh and Charlie were butting heads already. There was no doubting that the Sergeant wanted the newly appointed Senior Sergeant out of TR and he was far more obvious in his endeavours to out the man than Lawson was. Josh was committed, pushy and his efforts were open and distinct. But it wasn't for any of those reasons that things had got fiery; it was for a more distinct reason. Charlie was more than obviously trying to crack the team and push them to breaking point, and the fact of the matter was, the way he was doing it – it was cruel – and Josh didn't like it one bit. He was trying to break the team in and show them exactly who was boss – and he was doing it in perfect asshole fashion.

"Oi!" Josh called as he entered the office of Senior Sergeant Lewis, his hands firmly clenched by his sides as he made his way deeper into the commanding officers room.

"Josh. What's up?" Charlie quirked, sitting behind his desk; a stirring raise of the eyebrows almost taunting the Sergeant.

"Is it true that you handed the case involving Kerry and her son over to uniforms? That was our case, Charlie!" Josh pushed.

"Yeah it's true." Charlie shrugged, "Fact of the matter is, you and the rest of TR have way too much history with Superintendant Vincent and I'm not willing to have you dipshits risking the case based on your own little personal endeavours." Charlie snorted back stiffly.

Sergeant Joshua's eyes narrowed on Charlie and for a moment he felt as if he was going to lunge over the table and grab him by the throat – followed by an easy throttling. But he didn't. He unclenched his hands and kept a level headed. That's what Lawson needed him to do. TR needed at least a second in charge that was an old time member of TR and if Josh threw himself over the desk and assaulted Charlie; he'd be out of the squad far sooner than expected.

"This is bullshit, Charlie. Y'know it."

"I didn't pull Lawson out did I? Let him stay as a little personal human shield for the Superintendant. Besides, one undercover is more than enough for now. Putting anyone else out there would only hinder the operation. Uniforms know it, I know it and you know it." Charlie mused with a sly smirk.

"If anything happens to him…."

"Yeah, yeah, Rambo. I've heard it before." Charlie shooed Josh out, shooting him a dark look. "And Josh – next time you come into my office that way, I'll have you off the squad. It's about time you and your band of shitheads start showing me a little bit of respect." Charlie shot forcefully, watching as Josh dismissed his words and marched out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4 The Gundown

**A/N: Sorry for the delay once again, but thanks to all of you for your ever lasting patience! Please keep the reviews coming and I hope you enjoy the most recent instalment. **

Chapter 4 – The Gun-down

Kerry Vincent kept level eyes across the group that had found themselves assembling in front of her. As the Superintendant, she had the role of addressing the media and today was the day that the media wanted to hear the full report on Miguel Venture's assault on Melbourne. Careful hands placing a piece of paper on a small podium set up in front of her, Superintendant Vincent shot Lawson a hesitant gaze. The Senior Sergeant was out of uniform. He was suited up in a well fitting suit that made him look much smarter than his TR gear did. Clearing her throat, the Superintendant crossed her gaze back to the gathered crowd. The wind blew through her hair and the sun glistened on her face. It was undoubtedly a good day to give an outdoor address to the media. However, it was the guilt that was weighing on Kerry's chest that made her wary as to beginning her speech. A slip up on the part of the police force had Miguel Venture's likely release as a result of being a co-operative individual had reporters swarming for the latest on the situation. TR was wondering how in the world someone like Venture could get off, and hence, the public who were the first and foremost primary threat had just as much concern.

"The current situation with Mr. Venture is not for public consumption." Kerry began.

Lawson rolled his eyes; the once Inspector was sounding more and more like a politician and less and less like a cop with every day that went by. Discretely placing his index finger onto his comm., Lawson offered "What are you? The Prime Minister of bloody Australia?"

It was clear that Kerry picked the humour from the words shot her way as she couldn't help but allow a smile to attempt to tug at the corner of her mouth. Her warning gaze lingered quickly to Lawson though, warning him that if he tried to throw her off again; she'd make sure he was tending to some tedious, irritating duties – not including guarding Kerry herself. Head turning back to face the crowd, Kerry leaned forward and scanned the paper in front of her opening her mouth to speak. Nothing came. A loud, echoing sound of a gunshot rang through the general area and the sound of an impacting bullet forced Lawson into protective mode. Kerry was in motion falling to the floor and Lawson ran quickly towards the podium, "Shots fired! I repeat shots fired! Kerry's been hit!"

**ONE HOUR EARLIER….**

"Steven; this is Senior Sergeant Lawson Blake. He's been assigned for my protection." Kerry addressed to the Commissioner in a steady voice. Though it was her quick addition that caught Lawson off guard. "Not that I need it."

Lawson's stirring and somewhat dismissive gaze shot toward Kerry, but his respecting gaze flashed back over to the Commissioner. Offering him a greeting nod, Lawson followed Kerry into the mans office and took a seat on the guests side of his desk.

"Senior Sergeant Blake. You were heading the team that went under ground on New Years Eve, correct?" Commissioner Hoff-Bauer piped.

"That's right." Lawson confirmed.

"Great work. You saved quite a few people that day." Steven nodded truthfully.

Lawson's mind was clearly on Dom though. He didn't care how many people he'd saved; he'd lost a member of his team, but more than that, a member of his family. But needless to say, Lawson was the good-cop; always respecting his superiors and being obedient.

"Yeah." He responded half heartedly, more than a tinge of sadness and regret in his words than anything else.

The Commissioner offered Lawson an uncertain look and then shifted his sight back to Kerry who'd been looking on at Lawson in a similar fashion. "Anyway, Kerry. You're going to have to give the public address to the media shitheads. They wanna' know about Venture's situation…. But we can't deal them in on too much info. Brief them; hold as much information as you can back and then get the bloody hell out of there. Once media has even the slightest essence of this shit it's going to be all over the news – and you're gonna' be the first person they ambush for their 'exclusive fix'." The commissioner plotted along, scratching the stubble on his face casually. This just wasn't a good idea. Lawson felt uneasy putting Kerry out there so exposed with the threats on her, but who was he to argue with the Commissioner. The guy was the big boss; he called the shots.

**THIRTY MINUTES EARLIER….**

"Kerry…. Put on a vest. Give me some peace of mind for god-sake." Lawson shot forcefully as he turned the car onto the final run towards the media conference. The whole car ride to the event, Lawson had a feeling that things weren't going to go to plan. That things were going to turn completely sour and the media were going to get a whole lot more than they bargained for; the potential death of a police Superintendant even.

"Lawson. This is a media conference. They're armed with cameras and mic's; they're not going to kill me." She put plainly, "Besides… vests really make you look fat in these suits." She spoke, signalling down to her attire. A smile tugged at her lips and Lawson simply shook his head.

"Kerry…. If something happens; it's on me. Put on a bloody vest or I'm not taking you to this conference." He pushed forcefully, "I don't give two shits if it costs me my job. I'm not taking you in without a vest." The seriousness on Lawson's features was almost frightening. He was looking more so at the Superintendant that sat next to him in the car now than he was on the road that was eventually going to pass under the car up ahead.

There was a long pause. Kerry's eyes lingered on the Senior Sergeant; trying to pick whether he'd stay true to his word or not; but eventually, the silence faltered.

"Yeah. You're right. Look, when we get there, I'll put one on." She surrendered with a sigh.

Lawson offered the woman a thankful look. For once the stubborn woman was listening to some reason and not trying to stomp over everything and anything she found in her way of looking like the top dog.

**NOW….**

"Shots fired! I repeat shots fired! Kerry's been hit!"

Lawson felt his heart pounding in his chest and it almost felt as though he was going to crack a rib with the essence of complete and utter panic that had struck him with one powerful punch. His eyes scanned for a sign of a shooter, and immediately, he caught sight of a man wearing a balaclava on top of a nearby building making for a clean get away.

"Tend to her!" Lawson signalled over to Kerry, looking over at uniforms as he passed them by with an effort filled run. The sound of his shoes crashing against the solid floor beneath him made Lawson push himself harder. There was too big of a gap between the sound of one step and the other. He wasn't going to be responsible for the death of another teammate – and furthermore – he wasn't going to allow the shooter to escape if worst came to worst. They'd pay the exact same price. Charging toward the building in which the shooter was atop of, Lawson raced around the corner and jumped onto the outside emergency ladder and began making his way up. His unlevel breathing proved to make foot placement and hand movement difficult, but eventually, he found himself at the top. The shooter was hooking himself up to a rappel line, back turned away from the Senior Sergeant. Placing his hand on the glock that was sitting easily at his side, Lawson drew it slowly and moved his firearm in front of him, locking his eyes over the sight.

"Police don't move!" the Senior Sergeant called, "Step away from the edge, unhook yourself and get on the ground. Do it now!" Lawson demanded with a powerful, ringing tone. The suspect didn't respond, his hands still fiddling with the clip at his front. Lawson was readying to shoot. The sounds around him blocked out, and all vision around the target blurred. Bringing in the suspect ahead was the only think on Senior Sergeant Blake's mind. But in one split second, Lawson lost concentration. Dropping his aim just slightly, he recalled Kerry. She'd been hit and he hadn't even checked if she had a pulse. Was she bleeding? Has the bullet ripped past her vest? Had she even put a vest on like she said should would? Was she alive?

The questions raced through his mind and by the time Lawson's mind was in its rightful place, the suspect was hooked up and ready to repel – with one specific difference; he had a gun drawn. Hearing the sound of the bullet discharging and the shell hitting the floor, Lawson felt the impact of the bullet hitting his torso and he fell back onto the ground. His eyes flashed from light to dark and then, before he knew it, he felt blood oozing from the back of his head and his mind going blank.

* * *

><p>It had only taken half an hour for news crews to have their stories up and running, broadcasted all over the networks they respectively belonged to. Tactical response had all been called back to base by Charlie and the team were huddled around the big screens that were usually displaying the locations of the TR vehicles. Leon's narrowed eyes traced the name of the reporter at the bottom of the screen and the story that was located just above her name; 'Two police officers shot during public address'. The Intel officer felt his stomach pull tight and for a moment, he felt as if he was going to lose his last meal all over the keyboard that rested uselessly in front of him. The worst thing was, Leon couldn't have warned Lawson or Kerry of what was about to happen – because seeming as though Charlie palmed off the case to uniforms – all TR resources were taken out of the case; except for Lawson himself. The room was silent and finally, the newsroom crossed to the scene of the shooting where a tall, young, blonde woman was standing with a microphone pressed just under her chin.<p>

"_Kathleen, I'm here at the site of the shooting of Superintendant Kerry Vincent. The Superintendant was rushed to hospital several moments ago with major bruising to her chest. Police say that if Superintendant Vincent weren't wearing a bulletproof vest she would've been killed instantly as a result of the high calibre bullet that was directed at her."_

The reporters voice made everyone crowded around the screens fill with fear. Was Kerry going to be alright? It seemed as though the bullet hadn't cause any major, death causing injuries but she'd been severely hurt; that was undeniable. Though, even with the stresses of Kerry's situation – there was another question dawning on two specific members of TR. Josh and Shannon exchanged panic filled looks and immediately after, Shannon raced forward. "What about, Lawson? Where's Lawson?" she tried to keep her breath calm and collected but her words rushed out of her lips without any composure. "Is he alright? Charlie – where's Lawson!" Shannon raced to her superior for some sort of comfort. She needed answers and she needed them now. The news officials hadn't supplied TR with anything they didn't already know. One of their bosses was definitely fired upon – but the other – he was unaccounted for. Pulling her hands across her face and back through her hair, Shannon felt tears swelling behind her eyes. Trauma filled her innards and she wanted to scream – she wanted to scream out for Lawson; to ask him to come back to base and to just take her home. Take her home and hold her. Turning quickly once she felt the tears becoming too much for her eyelids to bare, Shannon raced for the hallway and hastily paced towards the exit of the base. Josh's eyes followed her but he knew there was nothing he could do. It was his job to counsel Lawson if the roles had been reversed and Shannon were unaccounted for. He was nowhere near close enough to Shannon to ever try and set her mind at rest. Stella shot Josh a look that spoke more than words. She was almost asking him to let her go early so she could just hold Shannon and make everything okay; at least for a while. With a unchallenged nod, Josh agreed, "Go." He said simply. Charlie didn't even try to speak up and just merely looked on as Stella vanished after Shannon and the rest of the team looked on at each other, stunned.

"Go home, guys." Josh spoke in his emotionless drawl; his feelings of pure heartache being suppressed perfectly. "There's nothin' for us to do here for the rest of today. Not in this mindset." Josh shooed, and watched as the remainder of the team departed reluctantly.

Charlie's eyes tracked along once more, and this time it seemed almost as if he wanted to challenge Josh's orders. But he didn't. He held back. For the first time since he'd arrived, Charlie was actually showing some human traits; compassion and empathy.

"How about a thanks, Josh?" Charlie shot, allowing his eyes to settle for the first time.

"For what?" Josh tracked carefully, looking as though he'd missed something.

"I didn't challenge you this time. I let them go home." Charlie shrugged; a sense of stirring in his words. Even when doing something decent, the guy had to prove that he was in charge and he could've stopped everything Josh had offered his mates.

"How about a 'you're lucky.' 'Cause if you challenged it, I'd've smashed ya' head in." a forcefully and sincere blast came from Josh; his words no louder than he usually spoke – but possessing ten times as much meaning. Who did Charlie think he was? Telling a team, completely and utterly gutted by the news of their superiors and friends to stay on duty and work was plain cold and gutless. Sergeant Joshua had no problem putting a dickhead in his place and losing his job for it. If you're going to go out, go out swinging.

* * *

><p>Stella and Shannon had made their way back to Shan's place. They were sitting in a briefly lit room, a bottle of vodka between the two of them. Sitting opposite one another on the floor, backs leaning on the sofas, the two girls found comfort in their time alone. Stella had managed to calm Shannon down with her words of wisdom and comfort; words that Lawson had taught her to plot together.<p>

"He's gonna' be alright, Shan." Stella reiterated. "He's unaccounted for. So what? It's not unlike Lawson to be a stubborn asshole and leave us all in the dark." She chuckled with a playful jab into Shannon's knee.

The Sergeant smiled back, a tinge of sadness still wearing it down.

"Stell', I've just got a feeling. A feeling I can't shake." Shannon confessed, feeling her words weighing down on her throat. She didn't want to say them, but she knew, once they were out, she'd feel one hundred times lighter. "What if he's dead? What if he went after the shooter and got shot and they just haven't found his body yet?" her voice cracked and the tears began to swell behind her eyes again. "I shouldn't have let him go. Shit…."

"No." Stella interjected quickly, leaning forward and placing her vodka bottle onto the floor, only to put her hands on either of Shannon's knees in a 'I'm here' kind of way. "No matter what happens; this isn't your fault." Stella spoke slowly, making sure her words sunk in with a certainty.

"Stell'… he was talking about how guilty he felt about Dom…. How he couldn't let anything like that happen again. Putting him in a situation where it was him or one of his friends; it was a death sentence. I didn't stop him from walking into a situation that was only going to lead to getting him killed!" Shannon blurted, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Even with the words Lawson had given her, Stella could never prepare herself for this. Lawson may have taught her a lot of things – but dealing with his death and helping members of the team deal; this wasn't one of those things.

* * *

><p>Josh's mind was racing. His best mate's life may have been in the balance and he couldn't do a single thing to help him. Hand resting on the glass of whiskey that sat before him on the pubs counter, Josh took a mouthful of the fiery liquid and swallowed it, expressing the sensation of the liquid as it passed down his throat over his features. Josh wasn't the type of guy to have a deep and meaningful conversation with the other members of his team. It was one of the many ways he and Lawson were very much the same. They both liked to swim in their own thoughts; pondering and thinking on the 'what if's' and the possible outcomes of situations at hand. Unlike Lawson however, Josh didn't vent his sadness through frustration. He held it in and kept a firm hold on it for the most part. That was of course until the fuse burnt out and he punched on with someone, just because it felt good. Finishing the final mouthful of his drink, Josh slammed the glass onto the bar and raised his hand slowly, "Another here." He put, pushing a bill across the bar and taking his drink once it'd been served up. If someone had killed Lawson – or even harmed him – there was going to be hell to pay. Not Kerry, not Charlie not even the damn Commissioner would stop the fury that Sergeant Brendan Joshua was going to unleash on the assholes that put TR through this.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5 The Breakdown

**A/N: Sooo here's the next instalment! Thank-you all so much for your reviews; I'm loving them! So I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was cut down a fair bit to span out a great deal of events that are going to be happening – so – this chapter and next chapter are going to be fairly heavily entwined with one another! Once again, please leave reviews, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 5 – The Breakdown

Josh was in his car first thing the following morning of the news on Kerry and Lawson. It had been confirmed that Superintendant Vincent would be discharged from hospital at sometime today, but Senior Sergeant Lawson Blake's current whereabouts and situation was unknown. The thought of more members of TR being taken down by Kronin made the Sergeant's stomach boil and the tossing and turning that he'd gone through whilst trying to sleep was evident by the dark shadows under Josh's eyes. Pulling his car up out the front of headquarters, Josh dropped out of his high four-wheeler and plodded along toward the entrance. Making his way with set eyes toward Charlie's office, Josh pushed the partially closed door open and his cold gaze gripped Charlie tight and held him in still-motion.

"I want the case, Charlie." Josh put bluntly.

Charlie's eyes searched Josh's features for some sort of an explanation, and his previously shocked pull of the lips dropped into a neutral position. "Sorry Josh, but I don't know what you're talking about?" Charlie offered, placing some paperwork in a file and closing it over. Leaning back in his seat, the Senior Sergeant leaned back in his seat and offered Josh a pushy look. The last thing Charlie wanted to deal with, first thing in the morning, was Josh's random acts of heroics.

"Kerry's case. The Vincent case. The case that's escalating every day to collect the entire squad!" Josh pushed with a seriousness pulling his words and installing a sense of power and determination in them. The Sergeant paused for a moment, but once he saw Charlie's clear attempt to jump in and defend his own decision, Josh raced back to overrule him. "I lost my best mate because of you Charlie. I'm not losing anyone else." Josh put. "You either pull some strings and get us our case back…. Or you can consider your orders thrown out the window; cause either way; I'm gonna' make sure a shit storm's heading your way."

An unhinging smirk tugged at Charlie's lips. "Alright Josh." He spoke simply, a sense of irritation filling every word. "You have to get your head around something. I'm in charge now. Not Kerry, not Lawson, not you; me. That means what I say goes – and I say – you need to pull your head back in line and check where you stand on this squad. When Lawson upped and left on his suicide run, he left you in charge of field op's – not of the squad as a whole. Now, I've had the common courtesy and kindness to keep your in that position, but lately, with your outbursts and lacking of care for your superiors orders, I'm starting to think you're unfit for your duties." Charlie threatened, distinctness about his words and a sincere purpose in the way that he said them.

"Charlie!" Josh bore through gritted teeth.

"Josh! That's all there is too it. If you take this case, you're off TR. If you don't consider yourself on the squad on a parole period. I'm sick of your shit, mate! This case is not our business – it belongs to uniforms and uniforms will deal with it." Charlie shot back quickly, hands levelling on the flat table surface in front of him.

"It became our business when two of our guys were targeted!" Josh pulled his open hands into a clenched fist formation and he took one step forward, determination in the way he moved. If it weren't for Leon popping his head into the room from the Intel offices, Josh would have been once more, trying to suppress himself from punching on with one of his superiors.

"Uh…. Guys…. Kerry's gonna' need another guard while Lawson's unaccounted for. Just… y'know…. In case the guy tries to get her in the hospital?" Leon struggled. The mention of Lawson was enough to break any of the members in the team. They all expected the worst, even when none of them wanted to admit it. "Oh and Charlie, Shannon's called in; she needs some leave."

"No worries, Leon." Charlie offered, not taking his eyes of Josh for the entire spiel that the Intel officer had offered. "Tell Stell' she's on guard duty for Kerry."

"Ah, actually, Stella called in too. She's with Shannon." Leon spoke awkwardly, biting his lip.

"Jesus…. You lot are a bunch of whiny little shits aren't you?" Charlie shot. "Send Michael then or his he on leave as well?" Charlie added sarcastically.

"Will do boss." Leon saluted, weaving out off the doorway and back to his desk.

A small moment's tension continued on between the two officers in the room, and Charlie pointed with his head toward the door, "Get out, Josh."

"Pleasure." Josh added smart-alickly, stepping out of the office, his hands unclenching the more he eased away from the office; his mind clearing and the words of his best mate calling too him; 'you made the right decision, mate.'

"Josh!" a voice called from the hallway up ahead, and the Sergeant's mind drifted away from Lawson and the good old times they'd had.

"Michael." Josh acknowledged the presence, giving him a nod.

"Uh, Leon called Christian and I back? What's going on?"

"You've been put on guard duty for Kerry. With Lawson…." Josh struggled, "missing – we need someone else at her door." Josh explained, giving the advancing Christian a nod as well. "Christian, you're with me." Josh summoned, collecting the constable and heading back to the TR vehicle. "You better hurry up, Michael. If anything happens between now and the time you get to the hospital; it's on you!" Josh called, ducking into the car and speeding out of the garage.

Left standing there, completely shocked by the sudden job change, Michael looked at the cement wall in front of him and let out a sigh. Of course he'd get stuck with the boring job. After his slight pause, Michael tracked back to one of the off-duty cars and ignited its engine. Pushing his foot onto the accelerator, the officer made his way toward the hospital. Though, even with everything that was going on – one thing was on Michael's mind. It didn't involve the job he was currently on, or the general status of his superiors. It involved one person and one person only; Stella. The entire drive to the hospital the young officer had his hand wrapped around his phone and his thumb was tapping just above the call button. He couldn't help it. He needed to know how she was feeling. He needed to know where her head was at with the whole debacle that had arisen just the day before. He needed to know how Shannon was…. He needed to know where he stood with Stella. Coming to a halt at the hospital and putting the car into a neutral position, Michael tapped the green phone button and pushed the phone against his ear.

_Ring-ring-ring-ring-ring-ring…_

No answer. A message tone bopped up and Michael simply smiled at the sound of Stella's joyful and pleasant tone.

"_You've called, Stell' – leave a message!"_

"Hey Stell', it's Michael. Just calling to see how you are. Get back to me. 'Kay. Bye." Michael spoke, his words dropping softer and softer. He didn't know what it was, but he was ashamed it had taken him this long to call up and determine where he and Stella stood. Ever since their falling out last year, the relationship the two officers had wasn't the same – even when it should've been. Closing his eyes over with a sense of distaste for his own desperateness and need for redemption, Michael opened the door next to him and placed his feet on the ground. Shutting the door behind him and pocketing his cell, the officer paced towards the glare reflecting off the glass sliding-doors. Stopping at the information desk, Michael flashed his badge at the nurse behind it and offered her a dumb smirk. "Hey, I'm here to see Kerry Vincent. Can you give me some directions?" the youngster asked.

"Take a left up that way and you'll be there." The nurse spoke simply, not taking her eyes off the computer screen before her once taking note of his police status.

"Uh-thanks!" Michael struggled to sound genuine in the way he expressed himself, and wiped his sweating palms against his pants. He was still thinking about Stella; and he knew that by the time he'd met Kerry's room, he'd need to be in the right head space.

The walk down the hall to Kerry's room felt long. Michael didn't know exactly what to expect when he got to the room. He'd heard she'd been shot, he'd heard what every other Australian had – but – what he didn't know was whether Kerry had been seriously injured or not, and if so, to what degree. Eyes landing on the older police officer in the bed, Michael gave Kerry a sincere and caring smile.

"Michael." She smiled briefly, "What the hell's, Charlie sent you here for?"

"Well… someone needs to be at your door; just precautions, Kerry." Michael nodded with a sense of sincerity.

"Oh, Michael; I can take care of myself. Look – get Lawson back here – I've got a bone to pick with that shithead." Kerry shot back, shrugging off yet another member of her squad's assistance. If she had to deal with Lawson, that was enough, but now Michael too?

Michael's eyes fell sad, gazing back at Kerry. "Kerry…. Lawson's…. We don't know where he is."

"Oh…. Michael…" Kerry pulled from her throat, a throat that felt as if it were being strangled by the strain on her chest. "Get out there and find him. I don't need anyone here. Get Lawson and make sure he's alright." Kerry put forcefully. "If you need it to be an order…. It can be." Kerry confirmed with a nod.

Though even with Kerry's genuine intentions, Michael shook his head, "Josh and Christian are doing that Kerry. My jobs making sure you're safe so they can do what they need too without any worry." Michael confirmed.

"Really Michael? I'm not the one who ended up MIA in the last threat on my life. I think I can take care of myself." Kerry stated.

"Josh and Charlie don't think so." Michael smirked cheekily.

"Oh… yeah… Of course those no good assholes would want someone to drive me up the wall."

Now it was clear that Kerry may have had one of the most traumatizing experiences she possibly could have, but it hadn't been anywhere near enough to change the person that she was.

...

Light flickered through the shutters and Stella's eyes blinked painfully open. Judging by the way the son was hitting the window it was hitting twelve in the afternoon and her call in for leave seemed like the best decision possible. Her head was pumping from the extensive amount of alcohol consumption she'd had the night before and for the first time in a long time, Stella was looking a little green. Tilting her head to the side, Stella caught glance of Shannon who was draped over the other side of the bed – looking just as worn and exhausted from the deep and meaningful chat they'd had the night before and the vodka they'd downed. Leaning up with a grunt of discomfort, Stella reached for her phone; flashing with alert for the message that Michael had sent her. Now wasn't the time to check it. That could wait for another time.

"Shan?" Stella pushed, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "Shan – you awake?" she spoke slightly louder and sounding as if she were waking up more and more by the second.

"_Mhm…"_ the muffled sound of Shannon's words crept out of the pillow her face was pushed firmly against.

"Come on…. We need to get out of here. I feel like shit. Time for a greasy flake and chips!" Stella nudged Shannon who groaned sheepishly once more. "God you're a light weight." She snickered playfully, dropping onto the floor and pulling her shoes over her pants.

Shannon eventually did the same and her eyes were burning from the intruding light from outside. Her attention drifted to her phone however, in the very same way that Stella had in her own way. The difference was – there was no alert of a message for Shannon. No word on Lawson. No confirmation on his feared death from Josh. Nothing. Pushing her body off the soft bed, Shannon dropped her feet off the side of the bed and pulled on her shoes. Standing up and stretching her arms into the air, she offered Stella a smile.

"Thanks for staying, Stell'. I really appreciate it." She spoke truthfully, a promise filled smile almost saying more than the words themselves.

"You'd have done the same for me, loser." Stella smiled back and jabbed Shannon in the arm on the way to the door. "Now come on! Greasy fish and chips await us!"

Eyes still struggling against the light as they got out into the open, Stella and Shannon made small talk as they paced down to the local fish and chip shop. Hands pocketed on both parts. Shannon's mind was still clearly on other matters – most specifically – Lawson; but even still, Stella did her best to get Shannon's attention off it and onto something more rest assured. Small talk followed through all the time they sat and ate their greasy little cures, and eventually, with a brief face wipe down – both officers had finished.

"So how are you and Michael?" Shannon spoke, licking her lips.

Stella just looked back with a smile, "Dono." She shrugged. "He left me a message earlier today."

"Well have you checked it?"

"Nope." Stella shook her head, "He's waited this long – I'm sure he can wait a little longer." She chuckled cheerfully. Shannon pulled a smile across her features too, and she felt a slight laughter escape her lips for the first time since she'd heard about Lawson.

"You're a bitch, Stell'. But I love ya'." Shannon shot back, still chuckling away a little.

...

_Tick… Tick… Tick…_

The sound of the clock ticking away above Kerry's bed had Michael's eyes struggling to stay open. He'd been there for near to three hours now and nothing had happened. He'd had no word from Stella, from Josh – from anyone for that matter. Kerry had demanded after the first hour that Michael zips his lips and just sit there if that was what he had to do. Her tolerance for his immature and constant complaining had turned to a sudden halt. No one had tried to get into Kerry's room, and Kerry seemed more pleasant before Michael had been set as her guard for the night. Using the arm rests to help him get out of the seat he'd planted himself in, Michael paced to the end of Kerry's bed and offered her a friendly smile.

"Look, Kerry…. I'm gonna' head off. Nothings happened and I think we both know you felt a lot better when I wasn't here."

"Yeah Michael. Consider yourself free. Tell Charlie if he has a problem with it – he can bring it right to me, you hear?" Kerry shot back with a nod.

"Got it." Michael smiled, a slight bit of fear reflecting on his face at the idea of the horrors Charlie would be having if he had any issues with Michael's discharge from guard duty. Strolling out of the room and making his way down the hallway, Michael caught glimpse of a man rounding the corner ahead; hand placed firmly on a pistol tucked into his pants. Eyes widening, Michael reached for his pistol, but before he could draw, the target had sprung back in the opposite direction. Bounding into a run, Michael pushed his mic in and uttered quickly through deep breaths. "This is Senior Constable Sandrelli! Superintendant Vincent requires immediate police protection. I repeat; Superintendant Vincent is in potential danger!" letting go, Michael continued with his fast paced run down the hallways. His eyes darted from side to side, but he couldn't quite pinpoint where the target had gone. During his announcement into his mic – he'd lost sights on the suspect. Sliding to a halt and grunting irritably, Michael kicked his boot into the wall beside him. "Shit!" Pushing his mic in once more, Michael called in for one of his superiors. "Josh. A guy just tried to finish the job he'd started. We need this case back now – or Kerry's as good as dead." Constable Sandrelli put bluntly.

"_Copy that Michael. Secure the room and do not leave."_

"Copy."

"Michael. What the hell's going on out there?" Kerry spoke, leaning up in her bed once the officer had returned to her room.

"A guy just tried to knock you…. We think it's the same guy that did the original shooting." Michael spoke softly, as if trying to suppress the information from any outside ears.

"Well did you get him?" Kerry jumped.

"Uh-No. He – he got away."

"Nice. I can see Charlie's upholding the thoroughly shithouse police work." Kerry rolled her eyes, pulling a hand through her hair. "Make sure someone's looking after James, Michael. If they can't get me, you bet they're gonna' go after the next best thing."

"Uniforms have been looking after James, Kerry." Michael confirmed with an accomplished smile. At least he could tell his superior some good news.

"Michael. You make sure Josh holds up his end of the bargain. Arrest Kronin. For the sake of TR." Kerry spoke with a solemnly.

"We'll get him, Kerry." Michael promised in much the same fashion is superior had.

"I know you will, Michael." Kerry nodded.

...

"Are you happy now! Is there enough threat for TR to take the case back yet? Someone tried to finish their job on Kerry, Charlie!" Josh roared as he disbanded the TR vehicle. Charlie's eyes tracked back over his shoulder as his head turned, and he simply gave Josh a sigh.

"You really want to do this again, Josh?"

"Fuck off, Charlie!"

"Oi!"

"No – you know what – you either get us that case back, or you can get stuffed. This isn't the time to leave your mark on the squad. One of our own might be dead and another under threat and you want us to just sit by and wait for our entire squad to be killed off, while uniforms piss-fart about!" Josh's ferociousness was frightening. Christian had pulled back and was simply standing behind Josh, his hands clasped at either side of himself.

"Josh – maybe you should calm…" Christian tried.

"Shut up, Christian!" Josh cut off.

"Alright, Josh. Let me break this down for you – really simply. TR aren't getting the case back, and you're officially demoted from the position of head of field operations. I'll be manning that position from now on." Charlie shot. "This case is too personal for you to head, do you hear me? The sooner you get your head around that, the sooner you'll realize that what I'm doing is right on the money!" Charlie defended, grabbing Josh by the collar with a firm hand. "Now get lost… do your job… and for Christ-sake – don't come back here."

Forcefully shoving Charlie's hands off him, Josh jabbed a firm hand into Charlie's chest to part him from himself and stormed off in the opposite direction. Josh needed to get out of there – he was seeing red – and red was all he saw. If he didn't get out, for the third time – Josh was going to be struggling to keep a hold of himself. He knew he'd be throwing punches. But it was the sound of his phone ringing away in his pocket that stopped him. Reaching down to it, he pulled the phone up and read the name that appeared across the screen; 'Lawson'.


	6. Chapter 6 The Naive

**A/N: The next instalment! This'll be most likely the driving/attention grabber for a week. I hope it suffices. Most of this is in heavy link with the previous chapter as a lot of what goes on here was originally going to be entwined into the previous chapter – but – in order to go into more detail and depth; we have a new chapter for that! I've loved all the reviews, so please keep them coming; they give me the strive to write even more. Thanks for your support!**

Chapter 6 – The Naïve

"Michael…. I honestly don't feel comfortable doing this."

"Shut up, Christian!" Michael tried to sound demanding whilst he suppressed his voice.

"I mean – I know Charlie doesn't want us to deal with the Kerry's case… but maybe he has a good reason?" Christian tried to justify his superior's choice, with an uncertain smile.

"Christian. You need to learn that TR owes Kerry, and she wants us to get to the bottom of this. If that means working outside of work hours – so be it. We're getting Kronin and that asshole that came to the hospital to finish her off." Michael shot back, not even the slightest consideration for Christian's words.

"Are you sure this is the right guy? I mean –."

"Christian!" Michael intervened, his voice rising slightly more than usual, "This is him. I got Leon to compare security camera footage with the database. This is the location of the guy we got!"

The younger constable pulled his head in, and the uncertain smile he had on his face previously brushed away. In all honesty, Christian felt bad for being here. Michael could work outside of work hours to do what he wanted; he was closer to Kerry than Christian was. But in all honesty, what did Constable Tapu owe to Superintendant Vincent? He wanted to catch Kronin and the guy trying to finish the job as much as anyone; but using the right means. Doing it legally; like cops should. It may have been the naïve way of looking at things – but Christian was a young cop. New to the force and new to the world of policing. He had to be the innocent little good guy. Michael used to be that impending factor of TR – but once he had worn into the squad, the line between illegal and legal slowly began to blur.

Eyes drifting around the dark skies, Michael made sure that no one was nearby as he jumped the fence into the backyard of the suspected whereabouts of the suspect that had tried to hit Kerry. By the database he went by Hank Stefan – and according to the database again – he wasn't married or a father, and hence, breaching his home would be much easier. Christian followed over the fence, his gun drawn and his casual clothes catching slightly on the fence as he went by.

"Alright, Christian – lets do this." Pulling his leg back and pelting it into the door, Michael rushed through the hallway, his gun flicking up at the entrance to another room. His eyes were pacing backwards and forwards at alarmingly fast rates and his heart was pounding in his chest from the adrenaline rush that had hit him. Room after room, there were distinct call outs from Michael himself and Christian.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Silence.

Then came the sound of footsteps. Then the sound of a series of bullets being loaded into a pistol. Then a loud bang! All of it happened in a matter of seconds, and Michael jumped for cover. Pushing his back firmly up against a wall and catching his breath from the shock, the constable struggled to manage enough air to call out for his partner.

"Christian! Christian are you alright!" there was no response to follow. The sound of fast paced footsteps tracking out the door and onto the pavement gave Michael enough reason to spring out of cover. Eyes trailing from side to side as he advanced back down the hallway, the constable breathed with panic. He didn't know what he was going to find at the end. A gunshot had been discharged and there had been no response when he called out for Christian.

"Michael!" the muffled sound came from a side room, and quickly, Michael entered it. Immediately his eyes were drawn to the blood splatter on the wall and then down to Christian. A decent bullet wound was resting on Christian's shoulder and it seemed as though the gun had been shot at point-blank range; considering the clean hole it'd left in the constable's arm.

"Shit. Christian – we need to get you to a hospital." Leaning down and supporting his wounded mate, Michael's eyes traced the floor as he struggled to aide Christian along. He'd stuffed up – and one of his closest mates got shot because of it.

...

Josh had received a call from Lawson only hours ago and finally, his mind was at rest. The Senior Sergeant had merely called up and said that he was alright; but that was more than enough. Where he was, what he was doing and where he had been mattered little. So long as he was out of danger and breathing was perfection. Immediately after getting off the phone, Josh had raced to Shannon's place – using his police sirens to his advantage to zoom by as lights turned red. Pulling up at the front and ducking out of the car, Josh walked toward the door and knocked firmly onto it. The sound of Stella's carrying voice came from down the hallway.

"Coooooming!" a lock or two turned and there was Stella's tanned features, popping through the crack in the door to see who it was showing up at such a late hour.

"Josh." She spoke, a little confused. Then her face fell sour, "Did you hear something about Lawson? Is he alright?" there was panic and Stella all of a sudden wasn't feeling her joyful self. Though all that was dismissed with Josh's shake of the head.

"I heard from him. He's fine." Josh spoke with a straight to the point approach. "Can I talk to Shannon?" her quirked, seemingly wanting to put Shannon out of her misery in the same way Lawson had when he'd called in to give Josh the heads up.

"Yeah. I'll get her for you." Stella nodded, patting Josh on the arm as if in comforting over what he'd been through for the past two days or so.

Stella's voice slowly moved away from the entrance and eventually, Shannon emerged, wiping her eyes as the moonlight hit them; clearly struggling with the idea of meeting the natural light.

"What's up, Josh?" she spoke softly – her firm voice still holding its own – even with the battle she was facing against the sunlight.

"Shan." He greeted briefly. "I heard from Lawson earlier. He's alright." Josh spoke softly, a smile creeping onto his lips. Shannon's eyes opened with excitement. The previous depressive state she'd found herself in had diminished and for a moment, all the emotions she'd been feeling suppressed themselves. The world seemed like it was moving around her, but she'd frozen in time. Then in one hit, all those emotions hit her. Tears streamed down her face and her knees began to shake. She didn't know why she was crying; she was so relieved and so happy to know that the man she loved was okay. She didn't know why she was shaking, and her knees weakening with every moment; because deep down, she knew she felt stronger than she had since Lawson had gone missing. Josh could empathize with Shannon though. He knew the feeling. He wanted to have the same reaction. Lawson was a brother – a brother that until recently he thought to be KIA. Pulling Shannon in to his warm embrace, Josh placed his chin atop her head as she cried into his chest.

"It's alright, Shan. He's fine." He repeated, rubbing her back gently as she allowed her emotions to spill into the open.

"Thank-you, Josh." She struggled through her tears. "For coming over… and telling me."

"It's nothing." He spoke honestly. "This was the first thing he said when he called up. 'Tell Shannon I'm alright and that I love her.'" Josh reiterated the words.

"What's happened to him? Where is he?" Shannon tried for answers, and slowly began to compose herself as the tears dried against her cheeks. She was received with a simple shaking of the head. "Dono, Shan. It was a short chat. He just wanted to put us at ease, I think." Josh admitted; now feeling as if he'd needed more information from the call – and the simple good news of life, not being enough entirely.

"I'm going to call him." Shannon pushed off Josh, pacing back into the house and grabbing the house phone; plunging her fingers into the numbers of Lawson's mobile. Josh simply looked on with innocent eyes.

"He's not gonna' answer, Shannon."

"Why wouldn't he?" Shannon shot back quickly.

"From what I could tell from the call – he's lookin' for Kronin. The last thing he needs is someone to talk him out of it. We both know you're the only person who could, Shan." Josh spoke carefully back.

"Josh! He's going to get himself killed!" all of Shannon's pleasantness came smashing down with the new information she'd found herself blessed with.

"What d'you want me to do, Shannon? He's my best mate and I trust him. If he thinks he's got a track on Kronin, I'm not gonna' tell him to throw it out the window. We need to make that arrest!" Josh spoke forcefully back, keeping some sense of composure still to ensure he didn't seem too hostile. At the end of the day though, he was going to back Lawson one-hundred-and-ten-percent; whether he was in the right or wrong. Nothing that Shannon said or did could change that.

"Do you want your best mate to end up dead, Josh? Because that's what's going to happen if you don't stop him. He's obsessed! Can't you see that? He'll do whatever he has to do to make sure TR is safe; even if it costs him his life!" Shannon fired.

Josh stopped and leaned back slightly, feeling a weight push him down. Shannon was right. After losing Dom, Lawson felt completely and utterly responsible for everything that had happened – and he wanted to make sure that Kronin didn't take any other members of his team away from him.

"You're right." Josh struggled, his eyes focusing over Shannon's shoulder on Stella who revealed herself at the source of the yelling. Tracing his eyes back onto Shannon, Josh nodded. "I'll give him a call. He'll take mine." Josh spoke.

"Good. Go and do it then." Shannon snapped, looking at Josh with steady eyes. "And Josh…. Don't let him talk you into helping him on this. Just get him back here." She spoke.

...

Shoes patting gently along the surface beneath him, Lawson held his hand on the back of his head. The split where he'd hit his head was still present, but it had been cleaned and patched over by the doctors he'd been taken to by one of the office workers who'd found him laying unconscious during a cigarette break. He'd changed out of his detective gear and made himself comfortable in something more 'Lawson Blake'. Blue jeans, some white shoes and a brown jacket, firmly placed over his shoulders. The sound of the cars passing him by as he walked had Lawson reminiscing on old times with Dom. Old times with the squad. The good times – when finding a sound resolve was all that mattered. Before Lawson had witnessed his closest mates die on the field. Touching his chest, Lawson couldn't help but still feel the distinct bruise from where the bullet had hit his bulletproof vest. Now, Lawson was well on his way to recovery, tracking Andrew Kronin with unorthodox methods. Asking Josh to do his dirty work back at base and get Leon to do some computer technicalities, while he did the footwork. The ringing sound of his phone caught him off in his train of thought though, and Lawson pulled his phone out and answered.

"Mate?" he greeted.

"_Lawson – it's Josh."_

"Yeah, mate. What've you got for me? Leon's got a lock on the safehouse?"

"_Nope. Look mate, I think it'd be best if you just came back."_

"Nah, nah. I can't do this if I'm back at base. I need to stay out here, yeah?"

"_Lawson. Shannon really needs ya' back here, mate."_

"No. Josh -."

"_Lawson…. Someone tried another hit on Kerry the other night."_

"What? Is she alright?"

"_Yeah. Michael took over your position – she's fine – but; she needs you back here Lawson. Shannon, Kerry… TR need ya'."_

Josh knew just how to weave words together to get his best mate to falter.

Lawson's eyes tracked from the ground up, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. Closing his eyes over, trying to fight the urge to retreat back so that his team felt safe, Lawson breathed out defeated. "Yeah, yeah – alright. I'll be back there as soon as I can."

...

"What the fuck happened, Michael!" Charlie's firm tone grasped the constable's attention. "How the fuck did Christian's blood end up at a bloody break and enter?"

"Charlie – look… I…-."

"No. Michael. Listen to me. If I find out that you two were there doing some sort of off-duty investigating into the Vincent case; you're both out. I'm not Kerry. I'm not just going to let this shit slide. You've overstepped this time!" Charlie shot fiercely back, his hand slamming against the lockers of the change room. Closing his eyes, Charlie took in a deep breath as if to extinguish the fire that was fuelling his aggression. Heaving it out, he opened his eyes and looked over at Michael once more; their piercing nature holding true. "Find the asshole that shot, Christian next time you go out with TR. You started this shit – you can finish it." Charlie pointed, pacing out of the room with a dismissive nudge of the head.

Michael knew he was going to be in the firing line for this. He'd gone behind Charlie's back and that was a big no-no. Constables were supposed to pay careful attention to their superiors and learn from them, but Michael had done the complete opposite; and was going to do it again. He was too young. He just didn't learn from his mistakes. It took something really life changing to have him change his way. Heading back out to his transportation, Michael made a vow that before the night was through he was going to find and arrest the culprit of Christian's shooting.

It was the early morning and Michael knew that every good hitman had to come back to his house to collect his things; even after it had been search briefly by police. Slouched over in the driver's seat of his parent's car, Michael peered over the dashboard and watched as the target pulled up at the front of his house and rushed hastily for their house. This was the perfect time to arrest him. To figure out some information on Kronin and what was in store for TR on a larger scale. Pushing the door quickly open, Michael departed his vehicle and tracked across the floor in a low crouch. Drawing his pistol and holding it up, aiming it at the back of the man trying to fiddle with his keys to get into his house, Michael called.

"Get on your knees; put your hands on your head. Do it slowly!"

There was no response. The man continued to pick away at his lock, trying to get in still.

"I said get on your knees!" Michael repeated in a more fierce voice.

Still, no response.

"Get on the ground no-…" he was cut off. The sound of a revving car and lights narrowing in on him had Michael frozen. He felt the firmness of a car bonnet hitting his side and he fell onto the front windscreen. His head hit the glass and left a crack in it and he rolled like a doll off the roof and onto the floor. His gun was sent one way, and his head was bleeding, blurring his vision. All he saw before feeling a powerful jab into his temple was a hazy man-like figure approaching, only to strike him down, pick him up, and throw him in the boot of the car.

It took at least an hour for someone to call in what they'd witnessed in the streets. A young Caucasian male being hit by a car, thrown in the back and taken away. A kidnapping of a police officer, the inevitable outcome. Josh, Charlie and Stella were in a TR vehicle and racing for the scene. It was where Michael and Christian had been previously, and, after extensive calls on Stella's part too Michael – the constable was unreachable. Arriving at the scene and giving it a quick once over, Stella wasn't drawn to where the car had hit the Caucasian male but rather, the car sitting at the side of the road; door partially open. She'd recognize it anywhere; Michael's dad's car.

"Josh!" she called, signalling him over.

"What've you got, Stell'?" he queried as he approached, his fingers adjusting his earpiece as he went.

"This is Michael's dad's car." She informed; her tone low and uneasy. "Josh…. They've got Michael…."

The sergeant felt his stomach churn and he almost wanted to throw up. Kronin had secured himself yet another member of TR. Kronin had his next victim for elimination.

The sound of Charlie's boots closing in brought Josh's attention to the Senior Sergeant and immediately, Brendan Joshua burst.

"They've got Michael, Charlie. They shot Christian, Kerry and Lawson…. And now they've got Michael. TR's being targeted; your squad. Now your either going to rein the case back in and take it on to save your ass and your job – or – you're a complete dickhead and you're going to throw the lives of good cops away, as well as your job." Josh put bluntly.

Charlie's eyes locked onto the sergeants as he had his spiel and he simply nodded his head in agreement. "I completely agree. Get Shannon back on duty, Stell'." Charlie uttered simply, before clicking in his comm. "Leon – I need you to get me potential locations for a safe house of Kronin. I'm sick of sitting around and waiting for uniforms on this. We're taking action on Andrew Kronin and we're doing it now."


	7. Chapter 7 The Tracking

**A/N: So I know I said that the last chapter would be the last for a week – but I had a sudden need to write the next chapter; possibly because it so full on; and I was in one of those emotional-channelling moods. I've loved each and everyone of the reviews, so please keep them coming and I hope you enjoy this instalment! This will most likely be the last for a week however. **

Chapter 7 – The Tracking

TR1 and TR2 came racing around the corner towards the _Medibank Icehouse_. The sound of the engines revving and the tires squealing to a halt brought pedestrians and citizens all around to look at the tactical response officers dispatching from their vehicles, guns drawn and aimed at the ice house.

"Leon, we're at the Icehouse. You're positive this is the safe house?" Charlie uttered into his mic.

"Yeah, we're positive guys. From what we can tell they're using a cellar room as a storage facility for weapons and drugs. It's nothing unusual for Kronin, but storing it such a public place is a little out of the norm." Leon called back into his headset, scanning the information that was popping up before him with the help of his trusty assistance, Audrey.

"Alright, copy that Leon." Charlie spoke smoothly, signalling Shannon and Stella to make the approach toward the entrance. "I want the place cleared before we start waving our guns around in there. Get all innocents out, is that clear?" Charlie spoke to the point; receiving an understanding nod from his fellow officers. "Josh; you're waiting with me."

With the order, Josh reluctantly pulled himself back and regrouped with Charlie, watching on as Shannon and Stella entered the facility, holstering their guns and tending to getting the paying customers out. Swarms of people departed and Charlie as well as Josh kept a level eye out for anyone acting suspiciously. For the most part those leaving were younger teen couples, family groups and a couple of the odd school wagging teenagers that felt obliged to take a day off for a fun day out with their mates at the ice house; but other than that vastly low level of suspicious behaviour – everyone seemed normal.

"Well – if they're here – they're still inside." Charlie spoke, putting out the clearly obvious as he began pacing towards the entrance. Falling in step, Josh accompanied the Senior Sergeant and held his pistol down in a neutral position. The silence of the ice house was unnerving. The slight humming of vending machines seemed to be the only thing keeping the place from being possessed by a completely dead silence.

"There's no one here, Charlie." Stella spoke, disappointed and anxious. "We've got the wrong place. We've dealt with Kronin enough to know that he wouldn't use a place like this as a safe house. It's way too public." She offered, looking the Senior Sergeant directly in the eyes.

"Give the place a thorough look. I'm convinced there's something going on here, Stell'." Charlie added after a brief pause, and Josh, surprisingly offered his word of agreement.

"It'd be a good place to hide a body. It's cold." Josh's words were low and as much as he didn't want to say them – the point was an obvious one. If Kronin's goons had killed Michael, or needed a place to put him, an icy facility that preserved the body would've been a good place to do it. It wouldn't smell and it wouldn't rot away. The look on Stella's face when Josh uttered the possibility spoke for itself. She almost looked as if she were going to be sick; she couldn't lose Michael. Not after losing Dom only a few months ago. That couldn't happen to her. It couldn't happen to TR.

It was the sudden sound of a door swinging open that caught the officers' attention. Charlie and Josh swung their heads to meet the noise, and there stood a man with slicked back black hair and a tracksuit on. His eyes were scanning the officers in the ice house over and the look of concern plastered across his dimwitted features was immiscible.

"Shit! Kronin – cops!" the tracksuit man pulled the door shut and rushed off in the opposite direction. Josh sprung into action and bolted for the door, grabbing at the handle and pulling the door open, barely stopping in his stride as he did it. Charlie was slightly slower off the mark, giving Stella and Shannon the order to keep eyes on the entrance to make sure the criminals didn't double back, the Senior Sergeant followed Josh down towards the underground cooling area. It was an intense run. The cool air underneath the ice house had Josh's chest hurting with every step he took and when he started narrowing in on the target, his boots lost traction on the damp floors and he was forced to regain his footing to a degree. The scar faced officer, ducked and weaved under endless exposed pipe, and eventually, he found himself in a straight corridor; his target still needing to run a good four to five meters before he had the opportunity to round a corner and get out of sight. Pulling his gun to eye level, Sergeant Joshua called. "Police! Stop where you are, get on the ground and put your hands on your head. I will shoot you!"

The running male halted, but had no intention of going quietly. Reaching down the front of his pants, he turned quickly; gun clenched and fired two shots. One bullet whizzed passed Josh's head and narrowly missed him – as well as Charlie who'd skidded around the corner and almost crashed into a wall. The second bullet clipped Josh's leg and he found himself struggling down with a slight wince of pain. None the less, the officer kept a steady sight and discharged one shot; landing a perfect hit on the targets weapon arm. The track suiting wearing goon dropped his weapon and fell to the floor wailing in pain and Josh advanced, kicking the gun to a safe distance and applied his tie-on's as cuffs.

"Charlie!" Josh called back, "Keep an eye on this one would ya'? I'm gonna' check if there are anymore up ahead." Josh spoke, not waiting for a response before taking off around the corner and tracking along to determine whether Kronin had escaped or not. Inevitably, he'd had more than enough time to get on his merry way – and Michael Sandrelli was nowhere to be seen.

...

"Nice to see that you're both doing well. You gave the policing world quite a bit of a scare there at one stage." Commissioner Steven Hoff-Bauer spoke with a broad grin plastered over his face; his eyes levelling on both Kerry and Lawson who'd found themselves once again back in his office – for yet again – more official police business.

"Yeah, well – I can't say it was planned." Kerry spoke, almost jokingly, but with a sense of honesty to her words.

"Yeah." Lawson agreed, his eyes holding on the Commissioner and his hands tapping impatiently away at the sides of his arm rests. Truth be told, the Senior Sergeant just wanted to be at home with Shannon. He hadn't had the privilege to pay her a visit since getting back – and after what had happened – and what he'd heard about happening to Michael and Christian; the idea of spending time with the people you loved was ever more longed for.

"Well, let's get right down to the juicy gossip then shall we?" Steven spoke, with a cocky raise of the brow. There was no doubting that the Commissioner was taking a little offence from Lawson's attitude, and Kerry's reluctance to engage in a decent conversation. "It's been decided that Miguel Venture will be let off without conviction due to his ongoing, undeniably helpful assistance towards the police. My 'friends in high places' have determined that they're going to be able to make it look legitimate so long as he keeps his mouth shut on exactly what he saw them do." Steven smiled confidently. Kerry's eyes tracked over to Lawson whose hands had now stopped pattering away but were clutching at the sides of the chair for dear life. The Superintendant's heart was racing. Did this dipshit that was sitting in front of her realize that the Senior Sergeant and her herself were immensely close to Dominic Wales?

"I'd like for you to break the news to the press!" the Commissioner spoke, breaking the awkward silence that had arisen. But seemingly, more silence followed and Kerry looked towards the ground, and back up, "Steven – I – You're going to have to get someone else. I'm not breaking that to the press. This guy deserves to serve time, and you're just going to let him walk scott-free? That's just not right. He killed people, Steven. He killed a friend of mine – and he's shitting all over what the Victoria police stand for." Kerry uttered painfully away.

"Who gives a shit what the Victoria police stand for? I am Victoria police and without me – there'd be no backbone to this force! Fuck Dominic Wales; he was a necessary casualty! He's had his media coverage and he can be forgotten – and good riddance! He's played the hero; that's more than I can say for half of the police force!" the commissioners words stung Lawson like nothing else had. The Senior Sergeant raced to his feet and his hands clenched at his sides.

"I'll fucking out you if you let, Venture walk…" Lawson snapped. "Over the past few weeks I've been here, I've seen more corrupt policing than I have in my entire career, and it's coming from the top of the ranking ladder. I couldn't think of anything better than replacing some dickhead who thinks his top shit with someone who takes policing seriously!" The Senior Sergeant advanced toward the desk, a rage burning in his chest and stomach; his eyes watering slightly from the anger he was trying to suppress.

"Lawson!" Kerry tried.

"You can either hold the charges you've got on Venture, or I'll out you. Simple as that."

"Lawson!" Kerry called again, more punch in her voice this time.

"No Kerry. Stuff him!" Lawson shot, raising his hand back at her, but keeping his eyes fixated on the Commissioner.

Steven's faced was tomato red. Whether it was from anger or sheer embarrassment, or both was beyond the care of Lawson. All that mattered was that this asshole set things right and made sure Venture went away for the crimes he'd committed.

"Senior Sergeant Blake. You can consider yourself dismissed from active duty." The Commissioner tried to utter composed.

"Really? On what? Attempting to stop, deter and prevent police corruption? Good luck having that stand. I've got a witness here, Commissioner. What've you got? A couple of high-paid police officials who'll do their best to tamper with video surveillance evidence running in your office, which mind you, is in the favour of my case? You've dug your own grave, Commissioner; now you can bloody well lie in it." Lawson's voice of pure victory broke the air and Kerry's eyebrows rose in amazement at his well thought out defence. Her hands had previously been clenching the sides of her chair in the same way Lawson had been, but now, she'd felt herself release.

"G… Get out." The Commissioner spoke, trying to sound confident in his response.

"Oh, it'd be a pleasure." Lawson shot back, following Kerry as she departed the room, running an anxious hand through her hair.

"Oh, Lawson. You're lucky you had your ass covered in there – because – Christ, I thought you were on your ass and out of the job." Kerry smiled back, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

"Well, Kerry – I didn't become a Senior Sergeant and the primary negotiator of an elite squad by sitting on my ass and avoiding the technicalities of policing now did I?" Lawson smiled back cockily.

...

"Where's Michael?" Josh spoke slowly, leaning down at the level of the suspect they'd arrested. The Sergeant had been at interrogating the newly arrested suspect for a good half an hour and he'd gotten nowhere. Charlie wasn't one for Josh's brutish methods and beatings and so, the Sergeant had to tap into some of the stuff he'd seen Kerry and Lawson do over the years. Using their words to try and weave their way into getting information.

"Listen to me. You're in some serious shit here. If you help us, we can get you cleared. You'll serve a lesser sentence – maybe even not serve a sentence at all. Give us something?" Josh tried once more, and this time, received a glance. It was a sign; the guy was considering the Sergeants offer. "I'm serious. You give us even a little bit of info on where our guy is, and we can help you…." Josh spoke softly, standing back to full height and looking down on the track suit wearing man. A grunt escaped his lips, and he sat in silence for a moment before starting at anything.

"Alright." He lipped. "You're not gonna' like it – but here it is. The copper we got; Kronin asked us to pick him up and teach him a lesson. We were beatin' into him and one of the guys got carried away. He got shot, mate. Your guys dead."

Josh's heart stopped. His face fell pale and he hesitated backwards, feeling as if he were going to collapse from the instant jab of bad news that came his way. The nausea in his head made him feel as if he was in limbo, and slowly, the Sergeant managed to find his center of gravity.

"That's bullshit. Where is he?" Josh's denial was dangerous.

"Some warehouse…. I dono. Does it matter; he's long gone mate."

"He's not! Tell me where he is!" Josh yelled furiously, his nausea and heartache turning into anger as he let his fist fly into the suspects face. Splitting the mans lip, he fell onto his side, grunting in pain yet again. Before Charlie could come and restrain Josh, he'd managed to get a food few more hits in.

"Josh!" Charlie pulled at the struggling Sergeant, "What the hell do you think you're doing!" pushing him in the opposite direction to the suspect, Charlie held his hand against the Sergeant's chest as insurance in case he lashed out again.

Catching his breath, Josh shook his head, "He said – he said Michael's dead." Josh struggled to repeat the words, and this time, Stella overheard.

"Bullshit…" she spoke from behind and advanced, "No! That can't be right. Josh – he's alright! He's going to be fine." Stella didn't know exactly who she was trying to convince; herself, or Josh; maybe both. "Josh…" she tried once more, but felt her hands shaking at her sides. The shock had taken her over and she didn't know what emotions she was feeling. "Josh…." She repeated once more, falling towards him in need of some sort of embrace. Taking her into his arms, Josh felt the need to let his sorrows roam free and cry; but he didn't. He needed to stay strong for Stella and stay true to his idea that Michael was going to be alright. TR was going to find Michael, and he was going to be perfectly fine. Michael was too young to go; to naïve. For god sake he was still living with his parents. It was way too soon to say goodbye to him – and hence – Josh wasn't coming to terms with the idea that he may have too.

"Guys…." Shannon piped up in as appropriate of a voice she could. "You found James at an abandoned warehouse near the West Gate. Maybe that's where we can find him. Find Michael." She didn't want to say his name. Even Shannon was struggling with the idea of losing a friend and teammate.

"It's worth a shot." Charlie nodded in agreement, a solemness to his tone. "Josh, Stell', Shan and I'll go check it out."

"No." Josh piped.

"We'll go." Stella added, wiping the tears from her eyes as she fell away from Josh's chest.

Charlie didn't argue and simply nodded. There was no way that he could argue with them – not when they were in this position. Not when the worst confrontation possible could be waiting around the corner.

Making their way out to the car, Stella and Josh readied for their departure. The world around them seemed to be moving so slowly, and the car – quickly through a world without moving time. The drive to the warehouse was too long to even time. It felt like a day had passed by the time they were even nearing it, but eventually, they found themselves parked at the front of it and Stella couldn't even move. She wanted to get out of the car. She wanted to go and see whether Michael was going to be okay – whether he was even here, but her body didn't want too. It didn't want to put her through that; not something that traumatic. Not now. Not ever.

Stepping out of the car, Josh leaned back in to give Stella a look, "You coming, Stell'?" he asked, his voice shaky from the emotion he was clearly trying to hold back. But Stella shook her head and kept her eyes fixated out the front windscreen. "I can't, Josh. I can't do this." She spoke quickly, her hands still clenching the steering wheel as if she were driving, even though she'd stopped several moments ago.

Nodding his head, the Sergeant shut the door softly and took a few assessed steps towards the entrance to the old warehouse door. Moving towards it and placing his hand onto the handle, Josh opened it and took a step in. The dark, moist and terrible interior reminded him of when they'd found James. The exact spot they'd found him was engraved in the Sergeant's head. It was about three meters ahead through a dark sheet draped over a doorway to prevent anyone seeing in. So the walk to the drapery seemed long and uninformed and Sergeant Joshua stopped before he could pass through it. The sound of chains creaking made Josh's eyes close and with one quick motion, Josh pulled the drapery open. Ahead was a body, chains branching from the roof to the bound hands of a young male, dangling just a few inches off the ground. His toes were just touching the ground, but his body was beaten, broken and his eyes were opening and closing; the whites revealing themselves as his eyes rolled back. In that moment, one thing was for certain. Even through all the blood – Josh knew exactly who he was looking at; Michael.


	8. Chapter 8 The Broken

**A/N: The next part! I hope this suffices for all readers. Thank you all so much for your support and constant reviews; please do keep them coming as I love reading them and they give me that extra drive to continue on with the chapters! Once again, thank-you all for your support and please enjoy!**

Chapter 8 – The Broken

"Go Stell'!" Josh pushed, his hands placed firmly on the wounds on Michael's stomach region, trying to stop the blood from pouring out. Racing through the city to a hospital at this hour was just simply catastrophic. Between the traffic and all the people who didn't consider the police sirens worthy of them moving off the road and allowing the emergency services to pass meant that the job at hand was only more difficult, and Michael's chances of getting medical attention were becoming more and more slim.

"Stell'…. I need you to hurry!" Josh reiterated, his eyes flashing up to meet hers as she looked in the rear-view mirror.

"I'm trying, Josh!" she defended firmly; worry and sincere concern on her face. For the most part, her eyes had been darting towards the mirror to see if Michael was doing okay. She couldn't concentrate on the road. Her only worry was Michael.

"Josh – is he going to be okay? Is he going to be alright, Josh?"

"Stella!" Josh announced, "Keep your eyes on the bloody road and get us to a hospital!" The sergeant spoke firmly, his hands applying more pressure as he felt the warmth of the blood trickling through his fingertips. If Josh was going to be completely honest with himself; Michael wasn't going to pull through and the whole thing inevitably was going to fall on his head. He had failed to keep pressure on the wounds – failed to find the young officer in time and furthermore – failed to do his duty as a friend. Then Josh fell forward a little onto Michael with a hard turn by Stella, narrowly avoiding a collision with a turning vehicle. Hitting a ramp and feeling the jolt, the tactical response vehicle came to an abrupt halt. With a quick snapping glance out the window, a welcomed sight; the hospital.

"Stell' – give me a hand with him?" Josh asked sternly, opening the side door and waiting for Stella to jump out of the vehicle and help him transport Michael. With an officer on either side of him; the Constable's arms draped over either's neck – the two TR members raced towards the entrance. Blood dripped along the road, marking the path that the team had made and the second they were in the hospital, nurses swarmed to take the battered police officer to get tended too. Shocked faces surrounded the room – but it was the neutral and un-phased faces of the Sergeant that kept everyone at bay. Deep down, Josh may have been feeling this more than anyone – but – he was a leader; and he had to act like one. He had to keep everyone cool and make sure everyone was level headed; including Stella. Especially Stella.

Turning to meet where the Constable was standing, Josh offered her a brief smile.

"We got him here, Stell'. That's all we can do. We need to just keep an open mind. He'll be right; it's Michael. He's too stubborn to drop off the face of the Earth yet." Josh attempted to lighten the mood. He received a sad smile from Stella – nothing more. As much as she wanted to laugh and simply agree with the Sergeant, there was something about this time that was different. She just couldn't shake the feeling that, this time, no matter what the nurses and doctors did – this time she'd have to say goodbye to her best friend.

...

"I'm astounded to hear of the police corruption that has occurred over the past few years under my watch. It wasn't until yesterday that I was made aware of these claims when a unnamed, for court hearing reasons, individual, announced in his trial that the following individuals are in fact, involved in corrupt policing activities: Inspector David Donohue, Commander Eric Howard and Chief Inspector Donaldson Hawthorn." Commissioner Steven Hoff-Bauer plotted carefully at the front of his office to the media huddle that had arrived to hear his announcement. "Under my watchful eye – police corruption will be obliterated. Thank-you." And with that, the Commissioner retreated into his office and Kerry followed in step, with Lawson not falling too far behind. Clicking his comm. in, the Senior Sergeant whispered. "See Kerry. You give a guy that's up the top a big enough reason to go against his mates to save his own ass – he'll take it."

"Oh, Lawson." Kerry uttered back. "You have no idea how close you came to being completely removed from the force. If you hadn't had me to back your ass up and the video surveillance along with it – Venture, the corrupt coppers; they would've all walked."

"Yeah, well – they didn't, did they?" Lawson spoke matter of factually back.

Dropping into the seat behind his desk the Commissioner shot a look toward Kerry. "Are you happy now? I outted some of my closest friends for you and your ape-in-a-suit there." Steven uttered forcefully, his eyes filling with the distress of what was to come from those who he'd condemned to lose their jobs and most certainly, some jail time. It was no secret now that the Commissioner had no more friends in the police force. He may have saved his job by succumbing to Lawson's threats, but he'd landed himself in ever more dangerous waters as a result of accepting the terms in which Lawson had offered. Though, even through the Commissioner's attempt to make his actions seem selfless on the outside; Kerry saw right through them, rolling her eyes.

"Steven – let's not bullshit. You did this to save your ass. You did this for you – not for me and not for Senior Sergeant Blake." There was a certain concentration on her words and the Commissioner's eyes tracked away as he struggled to argue with the Superintendant's words. "Venture will have his hearing in a week's time." Steven charged off topic as well as he could. "He'll get a sentence – I'll make sure of it."

"Oh, Steven – considering that your job depends on it – I've got no doubt in my mind." Kerry spoke simply, with a stirring smirk rising across her features. Though, while Kerry openly expressed her pleasant feelings toward the outcome of Lawson's actions, the Senior Sergeant himself was far more suppressed. He simply looked on with neutral features, arms crossed over and eyes trained on the man he'd pushed to breaking point; t a point he was willing to even betray his friends. As much as Lawson was happy that his mate was going to have justice, and the man that took his life was going to be serving time – Lawson couldn't help but feel betrayed by the one thing he held onto more than anything; the law. It was black and white. There weren't meant to be any shades of grey. But now, when times seemed the most hard, the Senior Sergeant had come to realize that nothing was ever as simple as it should have been, and everything on the face of this Earth had been corrupted either by good people doing bad things for a good purpose, or quite simply, bad people doing bad things for their hit of adrenaline and strive to cause chaos.

...

Leon's hands were gliding in their usual gracefulness across his keyboard and his eyes were locked on the screen ahead of him. A picture of Kronin was up on one of the smaller side screens, and in the central screen that Leon worked off was a security cameras live feed. TR had managed to track Kronin to his second safe house and it seemed as though now, their initial attack on the Police force and TR for what they'd done to him in the past was falling into place. Four gunman including Kronin himself were huddled around a large white van, shotguns and assault rifles in hand. Charlie and Shannon had returned to base and found themselves leaning against the far walls of the Intel office and watching on as Leon did his best to amplify the sound so that they could all have a heads up on exactly what Kronin and his gang were planning.

"_Right… So we shoot the big-cheese and get on out of there?" _one of Kronin's men announced, looking for clarification.

"_Yup. Shoot it, and then get out of there. Then we'll take a full manned assault and target the pig-farm."_ Kronin confirmed with a nod.

Without any further notice, the men jumped into their van and began on their way out of the facility. Leon's eyes tracked back to Charlie and Shannon and he looked almost dumbfounded.

"It's not much to go on – but from what I can tell; they're using codenames for either Kerry or the commissioner. If I had to put money on what the pig-farm was though; I'd say that's TR headquarters." Leon announced in a somewhat more educated tone than usual.

"So you're telling me that Kronin's going to hit the Commissioner's office head-on in an attempt to either take out Kerry or the Commissioner himself?" Charlie plotted.

"Yup."

"Shannon; get the car started." Charlie signalled and watched as the Sergeant jogged off down the hallway. Pushing his comm. in, Charlie uttered quickly. "Josh, Stella – we need you to meet as at the Commissioner's office. Kronin's moving in!"

...

"You know, I've been leading him on for a year?"

"Who?"

"Michael." Stella put simply.

"He left a message for me and I didn't message him back because I thought he could wait a little longer. He'd waited this long right; what was the big deal if he had to wait another couple of days?" Stella spoke through an emotion-filled voice. "He didn't have a few more days, Josh. Look at where my stupid game's gotten him?" the young female tried to hold back the emotion somewhat – but it still spilled out through her words.

"Stell' – no matter what you've done; Michael got himself in this position." Josh counselled truthfully, his eyes locking on the female that was sitting next to him.

"No Josh. If he knew that I was interested – maybe he would've been with me instead out of there doing whatever he was trying to do. There's nothing you can say that'll rule that out, Josh. I'm partially responsible for this." Stella pushed. "Life's too short – and I just…. I ignored that and put him through an emotional hell." The tears were swelling behind the constable's eyes and Sergeant Brendan Joshua didn't know exactly what to say. There was no doubting that the girl sitting next to him was completely and utterly in love and Josh knew that no matter what anyone said; taking the guilt away from a situation like that was near to impossible. So he didn't speak. Instead, he reached his arm around his long time friend and comforted her with a sincere hug. In that moment of peace, quiet and comfort though – the world continued to move around the two officers and inevitably, trouble and trauma were around the corner. The sound of distinct and repetitive beeping sounded from the hall and doctors and nurses began rushing to it. Stella immediately snapped out of her state and jumped to her feet, eyes struggling to see through the crowd of people rushing the hallways now. Was it Michael? Was Michael alright?

"What's going on!" Stella tried, attempting to get someone's attention; but no one seemed to have the time of day for her.

Josh got to his feet; more slowly and assessed than Stella and his eyes were simply looking for the one person he knew could provide him with answers; Tash. Giving Stella a gentle pat on the shoulder, Josh advanced forward and caught glance of his fiancé amidst the chaos. Signalling her out and calling her towards him, the blonde, beautiful looking doctor approached. Her perfectly angular features settled on Josh and her lips pursed tightly together; she knew what Josh wanted to know and he didn't even have to ask.

"Michael's just fallen into a coma. We…. We're not sure if he's going to pull through." Tash tried to ease out gently. It hadn't worked. Josh's eyes fellow low and his head began pumping fiercely with the panic he was feeling. Placing his hips on his side as he felt himself losing air, the Sergeant breathed in deep and heaved out; trying to compose himself. Trying to hold onto that essence of sanity that was getting him through all of this. Tash's assessing eyes scanned Josh over and she cupped his hand in hers, trying her best to comfort him in the small time she had to do so. "Look – Josh; we'll do what we can. I need to – I need to go and make sure everything's going okay. I'll be back as soon as I know anything." Tash spoke promisingly, before squeezing Josh's hand a little more tightly, only to receive a tighter squeeze from her partner.

"I love you." He lipped to her gently. Truthfully, Josh didn't know if it was the whole ordeal he was going through that made him say that – or the idea of Stella's speech. Life was too short; make the most of it while you can. It didn't matter – Josh had meant exactly what he said. His words were received with a warming smile from Tash, once last squeeze of the Sergeants hand before she disappeared down the hallway and into a room to her right.

"_Josh, Stella – we need you to meet as at the Commissioner's office. Kronin's moving in!" _Charlie's voice echoed into Josh's ear.

"On our way!" Josh clicked back, pulling himself together and jogging by Stella and giving her an encouraging pat on the arm. None the less, she didn't follow. She stayed standing and looking on at where the fuss in the hallway had been only moments ago.

"Josh!" she called back as her superior continued to make his way back to the tactical response vehicle. "Was it Michael?"

Josh said nothing, stopping in his tracks and simply looking back at Stella. "We need'a go, Stell'."

...

"Kerry – I need to get you and the Commissioner to a safe zone of this office. I just got word from Charlie that Kronin's making a move on this place." Lawson announced, grabbing Kerry firmly by the arm and guiding her towards the door.

"Senior Sergeant – we'll make the decisions, thank-you very much!" the Commissioner called out in his irritable tone, but Lawson seemingly ignored it. "Senior Sergeant!"

"Look, Commissioner. With all due respects, I have a job to bloody well do. You're not apart of that specified job – so if you want to stay here and have your face blown off by Andrew Kronin you be my guest, but don't hinder my obligation to protect Superintendant Vincent." Lawson shot back forcefully. "Now, you are more then welcome to tag along if you want. But you've got about ten seconds to decide what you want to do." The Senior Sergeant spoke simply. Continuing on his path, Lawson found himself escorting Kerry onto the roof of the facility. It was the only area in which Kronin would find it most difficult to reach. He'd first have to advance past TR officers and track through the entire facility before realizing Kerry wasn't within it – and furthermore – the chances of him expecting her to be on the roof were nil-to-slim. All precautions had been taken, and Lawson made his way back down the stairs and out to the front of the offices where he met Charlie and Shannon, followed not long after by Stella and Josh.

"Okay." Lawson announced. "Kerry's been secured on the roof, while the Commissioner has refused to leave the confounds of his office. It's up to you what happens with the Commissioner, Charlie. He's not my bloody job." The Senior Sergeant added blatantly, before offering Josh a nod of greeting. "Josh; you and Stell' should take the rear entry points and secure them. If Kronin's smart – he'll try those first, yeah?"

"On it." Josh nodded, patting Stella who accompanied him.

"What about me, Lawson?" Shannon spoke through desperate lips. She just wanted to embrace him and kiss him; they hadn't seen each other since his MIA ordeal until now, and Shannon just needed to spend some time with her man.

"Shannon – you're with me." Lawson summoned, advancing back into the Commissioner's office building and tracking into a lounge. Taking a seat and leaning forward, Lawson offered Shannon the seat in front of him. The moment she'd taken to sitting down, Lawson leaned forward, cupped her chin between his forefinger and thumb and pulled her lips into his. The tenderness of the kiss was clear, but the passion behind it seemingly took over. They'd both missed one another – and it seemed – not even the professionalism of the work environment could suppress that longing for one another's touch. Pulling slowly away, Shannon spoke softly, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Shan." Lawson uttered back, rubbing his hand across her soft skin. "Look – Shan…. I don't know if it's because I'm stubborn, old fashioned and just plain bloody stupid; but I think I finally realize that you're the one for me. I love you, Shannon." Lawson broke through his lips softly. "What I did – just leaving the way I did – It wasn't right. I should've called…. I should've let you know where I was; that I was okay." Lawson admitted through a sad smile.

"Yeah, you should've." Shannon nodded a seriousness crossing her features. "If I didn't love you all this may have been a problem, Lawson. But I think this whole ordeal we've been through has been enough to let me know how completely and utterly in love with you I am." Shannon reiterated Lawson's words.

"I just want you to know though, Shan. It wasn't you that was making me distant, yeah? I just – after losing Dom – getting close to people just seems to be becoming harder and harder. The idea of going through losing close friends, but more than that, someone I love completely – it's something I couldn't bare." Lawson confessed, his voice holding strong where most would begin to tremble. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry." Lawson finalized.

Shannon simply looked on with purposeful eyes and a silence ensued. With a brief smile crossing her features, she pulled Lawson forward and kissed into his lips once more – speaking softly through it, "Consider your apology accepted."

"_Lawson! Kronin's here!" _Charlie called into the comm. and the moment of enjoyment that Shannon and Lawson had been allowed to share was broken.

"Alright – all unit's, prepare for assault!" Lawson uttered back into his comm. and standing from his seat. Drawing his glock and holding it low in his left hand, the Senior Sergeant directed Shannon to take one of the side doors and watch it. Meanwhile, he approached the main door and allowed himself to offer a quick glance around the corner. The vehicle was there, but no one was to be seen.

"Charlie. There's no one there? Where the hell did they go?" Lawson tried but the sound of footsteps working their way up the walls made Lawson stop. "Shit! Charlie – all units get to the roof! They're using rappel lines!" Lawson confirmed, springing off from his guarded position and up towards the stairs where he quickly brushed through the door, finding Kronin with a pistol firmly placed to Kerry's temple.

"Put your gun down, Senior Sergeant!" Kronin screeched, but Lawson had pulled his gun up so that he could glance down its sight – lining up Kronin's forehead with the barrel. "Put your weapon down and let her go, now!" Lawson charged firmly.

"_Lawson – we've got the gunman down here… but Kronin isn't with 'em. Have you got him, mate?" _Josh spoke into his mic.

Clicking his mic gently in with the most discrete hand movement he could make, Lawson lipped back. "Kronin has Kerry at gunpoint. I'm going to attempt to negotiate. Josh – be ready to take him out from behind. Use their rappel lines, yeah?"

"_On it, Lawson." _Josh confirmed.

"Alright, Kronin – I'm going to lower my weapon and we're going to talk this through do you understand me?" Lawson spoke slowly.

"You do what you like, Senior Sergeant. Either way – this ends with me going home."


	9. Chapter 9 The Confrontation

**A/N: The second last chapter for this book! Good grief this went fast; already nearly through the second book. Once again, loving the reviews so please keep them coming. In addition – if you'd be interested in a third book (which is already being planned) please let me know, so that I know there'll be enough support. At the moment – unless interest is shown, this will be the last book. Please enjoy, and review! **

Chapter 9 – The Confrontation

Being this close to Kronin was too much. Lawson could feel the deepest parts of him wanting to lash out and just put the no-good criminal down once and for all. It'd be the easy way to sort things out; to make sure that TR were never confronted with the man again. Not to mention the inner urge to finally remove the one thing that had been taunting Lawson for the better part of the last few weeks. Kronin was an obsession of Senior Sergeant Blake's – even if he didn't want to admit it. Every bone in the police officers body wanted to put Kronin away for years and years. He'd been the one that had got away – the one that put Lawson Blake's impeccable policing record in a dark and dirty place. Until Kronin was serving a sentence that the Senior Sergeant was happy with, the record that the man held ever so faithfully onto would never be completely without its flaws. The plotting and constant piecing together of the perfect plan, night after night to put Kronin away for good had all come crumbling down now. Kerry was at the man's mercy and Lawson was going to have to distinguish between saving his friend and superior and securing his obsessive goal. Heaving in a breath and allowing it to ease gently out of his nostrils, Lawson lowered his aim just slightly and offered Kronin an uncertain look.

"Alright – okay – look." Lawson directed the man's attention to the firearm being lowered with carefully timed eye movements. "I'm lowering my weapon – now I need you to just calm down and lower yours. Talk to me, Andrew. It's not too late to come back from all this, yeah?"

"Ah – Senior Sergeant – what do you think I am? Some sort of petty crim' who's done this once or twice? I live of this shit Senior Sergeant Blake – and you know it." Kronin blurted with a dismissive and ferocious voice; wild and careless.

"Well then, like you said, you know that the longer you stand off with us – the worse this shit's going to get, yeah? You're going to back yourself into a corner that's going to be difficult to get out of – do you understand?" Lawson put simply, slowing down his words to make sure that each and everyone sunk in. "Now, Andrew… I'm willing to settle with you on this, okay? You let Superintendant Vincent go, and you can walk." Lawson tried not to sound as if he was pleading, but in all honesty, he was faltering. The Senior Sergeant knew that the best way to go about a negotiation was to ensure that the suspect knew you had the upper hand. But this was different. Kerry was at gunpoint and Andrew Kronin was the offender. This wasn't the regular negotiation that Lawson Blake dealt with day-in-day-out.

"Give me some more credit than that, Senior Sergeant! I'm holding all the cards here! You let me walk and I'll let Superintendant Vincent go once I'm clear; how's about that." Kronin turned Lawson's offer to his favour evermore. Though the Senior Sergeant wouldn't have it and quickly, Lawson shook his head and jumped back.

"Nah, nah. We can't do that, Kronin." Lawson put. "Your objective and aim in your assault here was vengeance. Now, what kind of officer would I be if I let you walk out with the very person you came to kill? That wouldn't be very good policing now would it, Andrew?" the Senior Sergeant added plainly.

"You've got a point there, Senior Sergeant. Y'know, if you hadn't come up those stairs when you did – Superintendant Vincent's skull would be scattered across the rooftop." Kronin admitted with a sly smirk.

"Well, it's lucky I came up when I did then isn't it? I made sure you didn't do something that you couldn't ease your way out of. Now, Andrew – I just want you to listen to me now. You've done nothing wrong as of yet. We've got you on possession of weapons and that's it. Now that's a charge you can get out of – but what you're doing now – you can't get out of this if you don't step away and put the weapon down, now. Do you understand?" yet again, Lawson tried to reason and inform the man that he'd plotted the capture of over and over again to reconsider his options.

"Are you forgetting the attempt on her life that I had one of my folks do both during the media conference and at the hospital? You've got a lot on me, Senior Sergeant – so let's not piss fart about!" Kronin shouted back, pushing the barrel into the temple of Kerry's head with more force. A quick step forward from the freight and worry of what was unfolding before him, Lawson found himself raising his aim once again and lining up the shot.

"_In position, Lawson." _The sound of Josh's voice crackled in Lawson's ear. Taking a quick glance over Kronin's shoulder, Lawson caught glance of Josh's pistol drawn and aimed clearly at the upper torso region of Kronin.

"Kronin. If you don't put the weapon down – I will not hesitate to shoot you!" Lawson forced, more demanding now that he had the upper hand in the situation and the drop on Kronin with Josh in position.

"Is that a fact, Senior Sergeant? Well I guess I may as well just shoot the Superintendant and take the penalty? At least I'll take one of you scum bags with me! Take away my time with my son – and lock me up for pointless shit! You deserve this!" Kronin's anger was building and quickly, he pulled the hammer of the pistol back and pushed the gun towards Kerry's head in a much firmer fashion again. With a brief flinch, Kerry's eyes level on Lawson's and in that moment, the Senior Sergeant could see what she was conveying; 'goodbye'.

There was no way Lawson was going to allow this to happen. Kerry wasn't going to die and Kronin wasn't either. This whole thing was going to go down just like Lawson had plotted it; a clean takedown and a twenty-five too life year sentence for Kronin.

"No! Kronin! We can sort this out! You need to drop the weapon…." Lawson spoke simply. "I need you to take a look over your shoulder. There's no getting out of this unless you reason with us here, Kronin." Lawson shot back stiffly, watching as Andrew Kronin assessed the situation around him. But there it was; the flicker in the man's eye that screamed insanity. Andrew Kronin was going to do something stupid, and Lawson wasn't going to be able to undertake his plotted arrest. Though the flicker vanished, and Lawson's eyes settled on Kronin as the gun slowly began to move away from Kerry's head.

"Well, Senior Sergeant. Look's like you've got me." Kronin spoke, letting the gun slip from his grip before getting to his knees and putting his hands on his head. Kerry dropped weakly away from Andrew and eased her way, traumatized back behind Lawson. With a slight nod and a look, Lawson offered Kerry a simple question. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah – I'm fine Lawson. Arrest this asshole." Kerry heaved in relief.

Holding his glock directly out, Lawson advanced toward Kronin, "Make a fist behind your back – slide your hands through the ties as I say!" Lawson instructed, beginning to bind Kronin. "Andrew Kronin you are under arrest for the attempted murder of two police officers, a civilian and the possession of illegal firearms. Anything you say or do may be used against you in the court of law. Do you understand what I just told you?" Lawson's poke triumphantly, lifting Kronin to his feet.

"Yes, Senior Sergeant – I understand." Kronin spoke in a somewhat mocking tone.

...

With Kronin captured and in the backseat of one of the TR vehicles there was a sense of relief lifting off the Senior Sergeant's shoulders. The sight of all of his fellow teammates with at least some sign of satisfaction in these dark times had Lawson feeling a little better about everything. He knew Michael was in a bad way, and he'd done everything in his mental power to cover it over so that he could continue to perform to his full potential on the Kronin case; but now that it was done – there was nothing left to cover it over, and Lawson was facing the idea of losing a teammate again.

"Lawson!" Charlie called out and immediately, the Senior Sergeant's occupied mind rushed off again to matters that he was going to be forced to face now. "Oi, Lawson. Come here." Charlie demanded, summoning the Senior Sergeant away from the rest of TR.

"What's up Charlie?" Lawson spoke somewhat tiredly as he approached.

"What's up? You just went up against an armed offender who we knew was out to eliminate this squad; that's 'what's up'!" Charlie shot back. "Are you an idiot, or are you trying to get yourself killed?" Charlie snorted somewhat. He may not have realized while he was letting Lawson have an earful of his feelings – but Charlie was actually starting to display a sense of care for the team he'd found himself apart off. Finally, he was showing signs of belonging.

"Charlie. I'm fine – Kerry's fine. Nothing went wrong. Let it lie as is and take it as a victory. We made an arrest and there were no casualties." Lawson claimed simply.

"Well there bloody well could've been!"

"But there wasn't! If Kerry had been shot, or me – you can have at me as much as you bloody well like; but nothing happened. We had a good result and this was the best possible outcome of a shithouse situation. It wouldn't hurt to admit it, yeah?" Lawson defended; his eyes level on Charlie.

"Alright, Lawson." Charlie nodded. "But this reckless shit of yours has got to stop." Charlie pointed, a brief smile slipping onto his lips. "Your lucky TR needs you – or else I'd have had you out on your ass." Charlie continued to smirk, pacing towards the rest of TR. Stepping back towards the TR vehicle; Lawson moved to the back compartments and sifted through a selection of things for his spare uniform. Changing into his fear, homeliness possessed the Senior Sergeant and finally, he felt as if he was back in his skin. He was back in the uniform he'd been in for years now and he was back in line with the members of his team. Tucking his shirt in and sliding his vest on, Kerry rounded to meet with Lawson; her old self returned as a result of some time to herself and time to think.

"Lawson." She announced simply, allowing the Senior Sergeant to turn and meet her gaze. "Look – I… I-Uh… Just wanted to say thanks… for what you did back there." Kerry struggled. It wasn't in the woman's nature to apologize. She took things, accepted them for what they were and then moved on; but this situation – the selflessness Lawson showed – it called for more on Kerry's part. A sincere and too the point thanking of her co-worker.

"Kerry." Lawson responded in his usual tone. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Lawson's teasing smile pulled tightly at the corner of his lips and Kerry's rolling of the eyes gave him all the satisfaction he needed.

"Piss of Lawson. I tried to be decent and thank you and you turn it on me like the shithead you are." Kerry fired back.

"Well, Kerry – what'd you expect?"

"Oh – Lawson…. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't fire you the first day I took over TR."

"Well, Kerry – I'm going to go with the idea that you knew one day, you were going to need me to talk Andrew Kronin out of blowing your head off." Lawson smirked.

"Yeah. I think that's justifiable enough. Maybe I should change career paths? Psychic or something?" Kerry winked cheekily. "I'll see you around, Lawson." Kerry nodded before turning away.

"Kerry!" Lawson called back. "We're all going to the hospital to check up on Michael. You're welcome to come?"

"Oh… Lawson… I-Uh… I can't deal with that today." Kerry spoke honestly. "Look, give me a call if there are any drastic changes to his condition and I'll be down. I need some rest." She admitted. For the first time, Kerry Vincent the impenetrable had been weakened.

...

"Shannon…." Stella spoke softly as she sat in the front seat of one of the TR vehicles, looking back in the rear view mirror to capture the Sergeant in her sights.

"What's up, Stell'?" Shannon asked, her eyes looking down at her fingernails which she'd been biting at for the past ten minutes.

"I… Michael's not going to pull through is he? I know everyone can see it, but nobodies willing to say it." Stella's voice broke along the words. "He's going to die…. And he's never going to know that the feelings he had for me were mutual." She struggled. Shannon's eyes flashed up and quickly, she leaned forward and placed her hand onto Stella's pulling it gently up to the woman's shoulder.

"Stella; he's going to be fine. Remember when Lawson was missing? Remember the way I was? You kept me sane, Stell' – and now it's my turn to do the same. I was scared, worried and it clouded my judgement. I thought Lawson was dead – and you knew he wasn't. You told me, he wasn't. Look who was right then? The person with the level head." Shannon smiled comfortingly into the mirror Stella was looking into. "As long as you keep faith in him, Stella – Michael's going to pull through."

Weeping with suppressed cries into the hand that was holding her own, Stella struggled to admit that Shannon was right. She needed to keep a clear head – she just had to keep faith in Michael. It was going to be okay. Michael was going to be okay.

"Thank-you, Shan." Stella choked, resting her head on the comforting hand.

"Don't thank me, Stell'. You're my friend, and this is exactly what friends are for." Shannon spoke softly. "Now wipe away those tears. We don't want Josh or Charlie giving you the shits for the next few months." Shannon nudged with a friendly smile. Using her sleeve to wipe away the small droplets that had been trickling down her cheeks, Stella sniffed to clear her airways and let out a deep breath.

Just in the knick of time, Josh weaved his way into the car and gave Stella a quick glance. "Okay – we're heading over to see how Michael's doing. Lawson and Charlie are gonna' meet us down there. Let's go." Josh instructed with a steady voice.

"Have you had any word from, Tash?" Stella asked in a stern voice; her old, powerful and controlled self taking over in the presence of someone like Josh.

"Nope." Josh shook his head. In that moment, Josh felt his phone buzzing away in his pocket. Reaching in and removing it, he answered and pushed the speaker close to his ear.

"Josh." He greeted, staying silent as he listened to the words being offered his way from the person on the other end of the line. A silence overcame the vehicle and both Shannon and Stella struggled to try and listen in to what the Sergeant was being told. Josh's emotionless features didn't let off on anything that was being said, and hence, everyone not involved in the call was left in the dark as to what was going on. Was it about Michael? Was it just Kerry checking up on something?

"Josh…" Stella interjected. "Josh – who is it?"

Raising his finger, Josh hushed Stella, not considering how it may have looked. Eyes tracing the area outside, Josh nodded along with what was being said. "Okay." He stated simply, his emotionless tone holding in its entirety. "See-ya." And with that, the Sergeant hung the phone up and shot a look towards Shannon and Stella.

"Josh. What's going on?" Stella put, her features solidifying with the uncertainty she was feeling in her stomach, and the nervousness that was creeping through every bone in her body.

"We've gotta' go to the hospital now."

"Is something wrong with, Michael?" Stella tried to get answers.

"Just go, Stella."

"Josh – I think we're entitled to know." Shannon added.

"Tash said thing's aren't lookin' good. He's getting worse rather than better." Josh spoke in the most controlled voice he could hold. "Just get us to the hospital would ya, Stell'?"

Pressing in his comm. Josh gave Lawson and Charlie the run down and offered Leon much the same. The team were all going to be meeting in one place; Kerry included, considering that Lawson had given her the heads up. With Kronin in custody and already on his way to being dropped off at the nearest station there was only one thing that remained to matter in the eyes of the entire team; Michael's condition.


	10. Chapter 10 Too much time

**A/N: This is the final chapter of BOOK 2. I hope you enjoyed it, because it's been a thrill to write. Please keep the reviews coming – I've really enjoyed reading them, and please, do let me know if Book 3 is of interest to you all. This chapter (as some may notice) is the first to not be titled 'The' Something or other. And it's quite deliberate. This was honestly one of the hardest chapters I've written – so please – do tell me if it worked for you or not. Once more, thank you all for your support. **

Chapter 10 – Too much time

There wasn't any music playing in the cars on the way to the hospital. There was a deathly silence overflowing instead. Not a word was being uttered, and even while Charlie and Lawson had to divert off their due path to pick up Christian who'd been allowed to leave hospital in order to go and see Michael – there was minimal vocal exchange between them. A brief word of what had been going on, the rundown that Kronin had been arrested and that was it. The sound of the wheels keeping traction on the road as the rain began to pour down was all that could be heard. The drive wasn't extensively long for either TR vehicle, and eventually, everyone was on site and mustering their way into a small waiting room. Eyes seemed to avoid one another, and most of the members of TR had made a special effort to keep their sights trained on the ground. No one wanted to look to the next person – because through the eyes – at times – the most could be deciphered. No one needed to know who'd lost faith in Michael's recovery; especially not Stella. Hands fidgeting in a state of anxiousness, Lawson's deep breathing kept him in a zone that he could suppress his emotions. Josh paced the small track he could between walls, and Shannon bit at her lower lip. Christian's eyes were the only ones scanning around the room. His faith was unshakeable. To the young constable, God was the force that was going to get Michael through – no doubts. Charlie had made special effort to exclude himself from the rest of the group. Standing outside of the room, his back rested against the wall – the Senior Sergeant gave Kerry a greeting nod as she arrived and directed her to where everyone else was waiting on updates. He knew he wasn't welcome there. He'd been the reason Michael had gone on his rogue mission – but more than that – he didn't know Michael like everyone else did. Kerry simply offered Lawson a sad smile as the Senior Sergeant looked up at her as she entered, proceeding past Stella and giving her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. The silence continued. Stella's glassy eyes weren't ready to blink. If she did, the only thing holding her tears back was going to falter, and she'd be in a state which she couldn't compose herself. This couldn't happen. Michael was fine only two days ago. He couldn't go now. He couldn't make her say goodbye. He was selfish – but this – this wasn't right. If he loved her, he'd pull through! He'd come back and make sure that she got through life okay! Grow old with her and hold hands like a stereotypical old couple while sitting on the balcony on a warm summer's day. That's all that Stella wanted; but all of it seemed so, so, far away now.

The sound of footsteps tracking down the hallway caught everyone's attention, and for the first time, all the eyes of the TR members flashed up and away from the floor. Everyone was expecting a doctor – someone to update them on Michael's situation. But it was Leon. His tired eyes tracked across the company in the room; his eyelashes showing signs of being damp. He'd been crying – there was no doubt. But as Leon was, he put his brave face on and made sure that everyone believed him to be a rock that people could lean on. He wasn't apart of the team directly. He couldn't be so directly hit by all of this. It was a rule Leon had put in place for himself – but a rule that he knew was completely wrong. Tactical Response was a family to him. The home he always wanted, with the people he always dreamed of being with; whether it was people to put him in his place, like Kerry and Lawson or people to joke around with, like Stella and Josh, Christian and Michael. They all had shaped Leon. Made him the person he was today. They'd been the embracing group that he never thought he'd be accepted amongst; but he was. Taking well timed steps across the room and leaning over in front of Stella, Leon put his hands on either side of her shoulders.

"Hey Stell'." He spoke softly, through partially shaky lips. "You doin' okay?" he offered, trying to do something. Trying everything he could possibly do to make what was going on here at least partially okay. But he simply received a quick jolt of the head from Stella. No one was doing okay; no one at all. Leaning up and moving into an unoccupied corner of the room, Leon pulled a hand through his somewhat oily hair. Everything in home told him to pray, but nothing had ever influenced Leon to be a religious man. It seemed like in the times of struggle – everyone turned to something; to a higher power which could promise a redeem from the situation at hand. So he did. Closing his eyes and in the most discrete way possible, Leon prayed.

As much as the team were waiting to hear footsteps once more coming down the hall – it was when they heard nothing at all that Tash arrived at the archway. Her eyes scanned the room and a sad smile tugged at her lips.

The squad looked up, their eyes nervously holding position on the doctor, waiting for something to be said.

"Michael's no longer able to breath without a medical ventilator." Tash's words broke the silence and the look on the team's faces said it all. "We… we don't know what caused it… but…- we've called Michael's parents and they're on their way – but if you all wanted to say your goodbyes to Michael; depending on what the family decide to do. Now would be the time."

Stella froze her eyes no longer able to hold back the tears. Her sniffling and attempt to control the sudden rush of emotion that hit her, impossible. Shannon had quickly made her way over to Stella, hugging her close for comfort – but there was nothing much that anyone could do. From what Tash had said, Michael was gone – and the only thing that was left to do was farewell him. Lawson dropped his head back against the wall behind him, his eyes falling shut. Josh had stopped pacing and he found himself clenching firmly to the top of his head, heaving in deeply to try and keep control of the tears that were begging to be let out.

"There can only be two people in there at any one given time…. I'll bet waiting for you guys over there." Tash informed, a mournful look plastered across her features. It was so sudden. It was too soon to say goodbye.

...

**LAWSON AND SHANNON say goodbye….**

Hands held tightly together, Lawson and Shannon helped each other through the open doors. The sound of Michael's machine making it that much harder; their approach, that much more tear-filled. Shannon's cheeks were dampened by the tears that had been trickling down her cheeks, but Lawson had managed to hold it together. His eyes were glazed over by the tears that wanted to escape – but he still managed. Hands tightening with every step, Lawson and Shannon eventually found their way to the side of the bed. "I'll leave you, Lawson." Shannon spoke softly. "I need a minute." She spoke, kissing him gently on the cheek and wiping her tears away as she quickly made for the exit. It was too much. Shannon may have wanted to be a firm and tough woman – but this – saying goodbye to Michael. It had broken Kerry, and slowly, more and more, it was even breaking Josh and Lawson. Pushing a solid breath through his airways, Lawson braced himself, putting his hands on Michael's and pulling it up to him. Swallowing and trying to suppress the quivering lip that he'd lost control of – Lawson's fatherly tone just broke above the repetitive beeping of the ventilator.

"What've you gone and done, Michael?" Lawson's watery eyes seemingly glazed over some more. "You can't run off yet, mate. Stella needs ya'. TR needs you Michael. You can't go slacking off yet, you understand me? If it needs to be a bloody order than that's what it is – but you come back to us, you understand me?" the trembling in the once firm tone said it all. Lawson was losing his grip on the situation. "I need you, Michael. If there's anyone that needs some shaping up for the force, it's you – but – you can't go yet, mate. Not until I'm done with you." Lawson spoke softly, squeezing Michael's hand slighter tighter. "You and Stell' – you two are like the adopted kids I'd have if I were father material. I can't lose you, Michael. You can't take a mans son away before it's the old bastards time to head off, yeah?" the words just seemed to be harder and harder to control and slowly, Lawson felt the need to do exactly what Shannon had done moments ago. He needed air; he needed to escape. "However this goes, Michael. Know that there's always a place for you at TR. Take care of yourself mate." Lawson spoke gently, letting go of Michael's hand and placing it down on the side of Michael's motionless body. Heaving a deep breath out and quickly making for the exit, Lawson pulled his hands through his short hair. Then he felt them. The warm tears trickling away from his eyes. He'd said goodbye – and goodbye just wasn't something Lawson ever wanted to say.

Shannon had passed Lawson by as he'd made his way out to get some air, and she'd managed to pull herself together. She was composed enough to say her piece to Michael. Stepping slowly back into the room and closing her eyes as she approached the bed, Shannon kissed Michael gently on the forehead. She didn't know if she could give as long a farewell as Lawson had. She didn't know if she was able of holding herself together for that long, and so, she simply kissed Michael goodbye.

**CHRISTIAN says goodbye….**

The constable had never faced anything like this before. The idea of losing a friend; a friend that was not much older than he himself. It just didn't seem right. It didn't seem just. Michael was too young to be taken, and even with his immense faith in God, Christian couldn't comprehend 'why' it was Michael Sandrelli's time to go. Christian couldn't find it in himself to face Michael in the room; he had to keep his gaze trained elsewhere; on the machine that was beeping ever so constantly away, or on the curtains that were draped around the bed to provide privacy from outside onlookers. He knew himself. If he had to look down at Michael in this way; he'd break, crumble and falter to his knees. This wasn't Michael. Michael's spirit wasn't there – he was elsewhere making some sort of inappropriate callout to a young lady not interested in him, or walking about and being the typical 'I wanna' be the best cop in the force' kind of guy he was. The outer shell of Michael that was bound to the bed, motionless wasn't who Michael was. It may have looked like him – but it wasn't. Michael wasn't ever too sick, too sore or too sorry for himself to get up and have some fun. Michael was never beaten – and the idea that this time, something had outmatched him made Christian's heart drop. This couldn't have been happening.

"Michael." Christian began, his chest pounding with the simple mention of the name. The thought of it being one of the last times he ever addressed one of his closest friends dawning on him with every passing moment.

"How'd you wind up, here buddy? Nothing stops you, aye? You get knocked down and you get right back up again! Remember – just like when that asshole clocked you one when we chased him down for jay-walking. You got right back up again. You've gotta' do that again, Michael. For us?" Christian smiled, thinking about the old times he'd had. The times that were now going to be the memories he needed to hold onto to remember the person before him. The smile soon washed away. The thoughts of losing Michael once more taking over. "Don't worry, buddy. Whether you come back to us or not…. I'll make sure you're well looked after. I'll pray for you, mate. Day in, day out." Flashing a quick glance down towards Michael's motionless body, Christian couldn't control himself. Flashing his eyes away, the constable tired to un-see what he'd seen – but he couldn't. The sound of Christian sobbing could be heard from down the hall and his uncontrollable breaths eased in and out as he whimpered sorrowfully as he fare welled his mate.

"God bless, Michael." Christian struggled, pulling his eyes tightly together to try and stop the tears from continuing.

**JOSH & STELLA say goodbye….**

"_Stell' – Michael's parents have arrived… they said they want you to say your goodbyes before anything."_

"_I want Josh with me…"_

Stella didn't want to go it alone. She needed the person that felt almost the same as her on this; the person that had befriended Michael since day one; had ups and downs but overcame them because the friendship was worth more than the faults that had come between them. That's what Josh was. Easing her way just slightly in front of Josh towards the bed, Stella pulled her mouth tight as she took glance of Michael's body.

"Shit…" she struggled, the tears still pouring down her face; more so now that she saw the full extant of Michael's condition. Josh kept silent, his hands clenched at his sides as if he was trying to hold all his emotion in the fists he'd created. If he even tried to lip anything; he'd break. He wasn't going to break. He needed to stay strong; solely for Stella. Placing his hand on her back and pulling her under his arm, Josh encouraged her forward to say her piece to Michael. To make peace. To say goodbye.

Taking the still hand into her own, Stella put it next to her cheek. The warmth of Michael's skin on her; the touch of his hand soothing – enough to make her whimpering stop – just for the moment that she needed too. Being close to him was what she needed. Having his delicate and caring hands near her was just soothing. But the idea that this was going to be the last time she had that privilege and honour was something Stella wasn't ready to come to terms with.

"I didn't call you back, Michael." She spoke softly. "You left me a message and I didn't call you back." Her tone almost sounded apologetic. "I'm so sorry…. Michael – please – I'm so sorry…." She kissed his hand softly through her words and continued to press it firmly against her cheek thereafter. "You need to come back. You need to make me call you back, Michael." Her voice began to tremble slightly. "You're the one for me – I love you. Do you hear me, you cheeky bastard? I love you. That's what you wanted to hear right? So you can stop at this little game your playing and come back to me, okay?" Stella had only wished it were that easy. She wished that she'd called him back and asked him to come over so that Michael wasn't so entwined with work – but more with her. Maybe then he wouldn't have gone off and tried to do something stupid. Maybe then he'd have been okay. Maybe. Possibilities but nothing more. What could have been, but not what truly was. What Stella couldn't do was come to terms with the fact that the past couldn't be changed – the idea that her actions could have changed this; but the fact that now, it was too late. Leaning over the railing and placing her lips gently on his, Stella felt a tear fall from her eyes to Michael's features and through the brief kiss she spoke.

"Goodbye Michael."

Not everyone had their opportunity to farewell Michael, but the idea that Michael's parents were willing to have the team with them when they turned off the life support was enough for the team to settle on. None of them wanted to see Michael go, but the idea that this was going to be the last time the team ever saw their mate again simply meant they were going to have to endure the trauma. Stella was pouring with sorrow, and no matter how much anyone tried to comfort her – the news that Michael's life support was going to be turned off was just too much for her to bare. She couldn't be faced with this predicament. She couldn't be faced with losing the one person she truly loved, and the one person that held her world together. The team mate their way together to the room where Michael was, their eyes trained on his parents who were standing together at the side of the bed – their eyes focused on the son that they were forced to say goodbye to. Stella made her way forward and away from TR, her hands resting on the end railing of the bed. From this angle it just looked like he was sleeping. The tubes and breathing apparatuses present from a side on view, slightly less identifiable from where she stood.

Tash stood beside Josh, her eyes filled with the tears that her partners were. There was no doubting that the sadness and longing for change that Josh was feeling was reflecting more in Tash than in he himself. A nurse approached the bed and slowly rotating a small tube and pulling, the breathing device left Michael's lips. There was nothing other than the beeping that promised that the constable was still alive. It was only by the stopping of that in which the team could really come to realize that goodbye had come, and Michael had gone.

**Beep… Beep… Beep…**

_Beeeeeeeeee…_

Michael's parents were slouched over one another, eyes pouring with tears as the sound of their son's last breaths drained out through the machine that had been keeping him alive. Stella was at the foot of the bed, her eyes running with the very tears she'd been doing her best to hold back for days now, and everyone else simply looked on. They were frozen, shocked and heartbroken. They'd had to farewell Michael. Stella had to say goodbye to her best friend and TR had to come to terms with losing another teammate and member of the family. Shannon and Lawson stood side by side, hand in hand as they tried to control themselves as they watched on as the team fell apart. Lawson's eyes couldn't hold back anymore and the tears began forming into droplets and running down his face. Josh's attempt to hold himself together had faltered also, and his deep breathing emphasized how much he was struggling to keep composure. Kerry and Leon watched on, slightly more distant than the others. They were broken; TR was broken. There was no coming back from this. They'd lost a family member. They'd lost someone they all loved. They'd lost Michael.


End file.
